The Atlanta Falcons were determined to right the ship heading into the NFL offseason and knew that it started with the quarterback position and their head coach.
The Falcons made a bold move to sign veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, and replaced head coach Arthur Smith with Raheem Morris, which seem to be two game-changing moves for the franchise.
Although the Falcons seemed to be set at quarterback after signing Cousins to a four-year deal, Atlanta made a strange move with its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, which was questionable considering there were other areas to address.
Now, with the Falcons winning four of their past five games, drafting Penix after signing Cousins is no longer a storyline in Atlanta, with the franchise seemingly heading in the right direction.
However, it is an interesting situation for the rookie, as he is trying to soak up knowledge from Cousins, who has a considerable amount of experience and is playing at a high level after recovering from an Achilles injury.
Penix recently opened up about learning from Cousins while finding the balance of when to chime in with feedback.
“I’m still trying to figure that out, to be honest,” Penix said, via Maria Martin of 11Alive News. “Sometimes I might want to say something but I’m like, ‘He’s been playing 13 years, he probably knows that already.'”
Awesome chatting with Michael Penix today.
Got to pick his brain about patiently waiting in the wings and learning while doing it.
Also the balance of giving Kirk feedback and asking him questions "I'm still trying to figure that out to be honest." #Falcons pic.twitter.com/qOUaHi2n8M— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) October 16, 2024
With Cousins back to form as a reliable starting quarterback, there’s no telling when Penix will get his chance to show what he can do at the NFL level.
However, this is a good position to be in, as he’s part of a winning team with playoff aspirations and can learn a lot from an experienced quarterback who has dealt with his fair share of ups and downs in the league.
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