The Falcons were universally killed, with a few exceptions, for drafting Michael Penix, Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rightfully so, given the amount of money they spent on Kirk Cousins as a free agent in the offseason. With Cousins struggling badly over the last month, Atlanta benched him this week in favor of Penix, leaving the door open for a ton of criticism or a ton of praise or a giant calabash of both.
I fall in the mixed stew category on this one. On one hand, the Falcons plan was sound in that it gave them a backup in the event Cousins was bad enough to need replacing in the lineup. We need to give teams credit for doing whatever it takes to secure the future at the quarterback position, even if that means spending more than any other team in free agency at the position while simultaneously using their highest-possible draft capital at the position.
Think about it like a really, really, REALLY rich version of what the Seahawks did with Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson back in 2012. Flynn's deal was big at the time but it was much, much smaller than Cousins and he didn't soak up a ton of salary-cap space and dead money like Cousins will, depending on what the Falcons do with their veteran. Flynn was also a former backup Seattle took a flier on, while Cousins was a bonafide high-level starter for the Vikings until his Achilles injury. And Wilson, unlike Penix, was not a top-10 pick, costing the Seahawks just a third-round pick.
So, in that sense, it's not insane to look at the moves -- even back in May -- and suggest they could make some sense, with Penix serving as both insurance and possibly the future of the franchise.
But if you loved Penix that much, and knew you'd have a top-10 draft pick, why go and sign Cousins to that massive deal? The defense for the Falcons was a large problem for much of the season, back when Cousins was winging the ball around for 500 yards a game and the Atlanta offense was cooking for stretches.
We've seen plenty of instances where a front office spends huge on someone else's veteran -- either in a trade or with a signing or both -- and everyone ends up getting fired because the move backfires and the owner is irate because it doesn't work out and costs them tens of millions of dollars.
So now the pressure is really ratcheted up on Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris. Yes, they had a "plan" and technically the plan "worked" because Penix is able to step in and replace a struggling Cousins who has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions over his last five games, four of which the Falcons lost, with their lone win coming in a squeaker against the lowly Raiders on Monday.
The problem for Atlanta -- and going against a very bad Giants team at home may have influenced the decision -- is Penix kind of has to be good out of the box. They've seen him more than anyone else, primarily because they decided not to give Penix any preseason reps in live game action, so they know better than anyone what he can do. But if he doesn't look sharp against the Giants or if the Falcons somehow lose to New York on Sunday, there will be a lot of questions asked.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. The Falcons better hope Penix can punch back otherwise this team, sitting at 7-7 and in desperation mode for a playoff berth, could see some folks in some seriously hot water.
