Falcons' Michael Penix: Expects to be ready for Week 1

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Penix (knee) said Wednesday he "look[s] forward to being back Week 1," but he added "we'll see" and noted that Atlanta's medical staff will have "the last word" on his recovery timetable, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Penix mentioned his familiarity with the process of rehabbing from ACL tears, as he suffered similar injuries twice during his collegiate career, both to his right knee. Currently, Penix is rehabbing from a torn left ACL for which he underwent surgery Nov. 25, roughly 9.5 months prior to Week 1 of the 2026 campaign. That places Week 1 squarely within the typical 9-to-12-month recovery timetable for ACL tears, albeit on the earlier end of the scale. Per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site, new head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Penix already has resumed "attacking his rehab" at the team's training facility. Stefanski expressed excitement about Penix as "a young player who will continue to develop and continue to get better." Meanwhile, veteran Kirk Cousins is the only other quarterback under contract with Atlanta for 2026, though he reworked his deal with the team in early January in a maneuver that likely will result in either another restructure or his release prior to March 13, per Field Yates of ESPN.