Like the rest of the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons opened up their training camp this week. And like most teams not named the Philadelphia Eagles, they have a lot of question marks heading into the 2025 season.
But, hope springs eternal and there is always plenty of reason for optimism. And quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is no different as he thinks the sky is the limit for this team. Everyone is 0-0 right now, so why not set your sights high?
“We should be the best in the league with the guys we’ve got around us,” Penix said on Thursday after practice. “We should be unstoppable. So that’s that’s our goal. We want to be No. 1 in all categories.”
Of course he’s talking about an offense that includes wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson, both of whom had monster 2024 seasons. Heck, he even mentions tight end Kyle Pitts, the former No. 1 draft pick who has a ton of athleticism, but hasn’t quite put it all together yet.
“See we got KP the ball today,” Penix said of Pitts without even being asked (he probably thought he’d get out ahead of that one because he’ll definitely be peppered with questions about the former University of Florida tight end).
Penix smiled and then added, “there’s gonna be a lot of that.”
Michael Penix thinks his three starts last year were huge
Towards the end of last year, Kirk Cousins got banged up. After a promising start to the season, he just wasn’t the same and the Falcons started racking up losses. With the heir apparent waiting in the wings, it was time to see what they had in their rookie first-round draft pick.
Even though they were 1-2 in his three starts, Penix said those games were crucial in his development.
“Yeah, it’s very important,” Penix said. “Just knowing, just being able to go out there and get those games with full-speed reps — it instills confidence, knowing I can go out there and do the same thing that you saw in college and all my life.
“So, you know, just I would say biggest thing is confidence.”
Falcons’ head coach Raheem Morris says this year feels more at ease
Penix isn’t the only member of the organization with high hopes. Head coach Raheem Morris said that this year’s training camp just feels different than it did last season.
“That’s a good question, Alison, it’s like I don’t know if it feels different. I just think it feels more settling, more at ease. I think it’s feels even more familiar than it had felt before,” Morris said in response to a questions from WSB-TV Channel 2’s Alison Mastrangelo. “Being back the second time, being back with the same people, being back a lot of the new faces, being with your second draft class.”
He’s clearly talking the familiarity of being with the same team. Because it can’t be completely comfortable heading into a “fingers crossed” situation with the team’s most important position. The team’s new first-round draft picks on defense Jalon Walker and James Pearce, Jr. will have to play a crucial role in fixing a bad defense and helping the team win the AFC South. But, the first-year starting quarterback is a huge unknown that will ultimately tell the story of the season.
Then again, they do have a $27.5 million insurance policy sitting on the bench that they haven’t been able to trade. There must be some comfort in that Plan B.
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