Mark Bradley: The puzzling preseason of Michael Penix Jr.

ATLANTA — Conceptually, the Falcons’ decision not to deploy Michael Penix Jr. in their second and third exhibition games makes sense. (He played five series in the first.) The worst that can happen in preseason is for a starting quarterback to get hurt, about which more later.

Empirically, I’m not so sure. Penix isn’t the Falcons’ starting quarterback. He’s a rookie. His non-practice/scrimmage NFL participation amounts to 24 snaps on Aug. 10. From Falcons coach Raheem Morris: “Mike showed us enough (versus Miami) that we don’t have to play him again in the preseason.”

Penix isn’t expected to start any regular-season game unless Kirk Cousins gets hurt, which could happen to any NFL QB, or proves substandard to requirements, in which case this franchise would have bigger issues than how to handle exhibition games. Were Penix needed in a game that matters, would 24 snaps in August be enough of an indoctrination?

The NFL isn’t always kind to rookie quarterbacks. C.J. Stroud had a splendid first season; Bryce Young, drafted one spot ahead of Stroud, did not. We cite, yet again, the infamous number: Peyton Manning, among the five best quarterbacks ever, threw 28 interceptions in Year 1 with Indianapolis.

The Falcons love Penix enough to have spent the eighth overall pick on a quarterback who, owing to the presence of Cousins, mightn’t play much until he’s a third-year pro. (I understand their succession planning, though I might be in the minority.) Morris said he has already — already! — seen enough of Penix in practice — talking about practice! — to know he’s the real deal. That seems … a reach.

Penix is the Falcons’ quarterback of the future, even though he has taken more snaps as a Falcon than their quarterback of the present. (Yes, this gets confusing.) If we go by their depth chart, Penix is also their backup QB, which is itself a key position. Will 16 passes on Aug. 10 constitute regular-season readiness?

The biggest rule of NFL quarterbacking: Once the real season begins, QB1 takes most of the practice snaps. Come September, the idea isn’t to prep for the future; it’s to win on Sunday. As gifted and studious as Penix might be, there’s no simulating an actual NFL game. If there were, the Panthers wouldn’t be wondering if Young is the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf.

Seasons can be lost in preseason. Coming off a playoff run in Michael Vick’s first season as a starter, the 2003 Falcons were considered Super Bowl contenders. Vick broke his leg in Exo No. 3 against Baltimore. He returned three days after Thanksgiving, but the season was gone. Dan Reeves would soon be, too.

Times have changed. Starting quarterbacks skip the preseason. Cousins won’t play an exhibition down. He has, however, started 149 NFL games. He has some notion of how they work. Penix has 24 August snaps. That’s not the same.

Seeing Penix get hurt in a who-cares game would complicate a timeline that’s complicated enough as is. Not giving a rookie time to acclimate himself to game speed might also be a tactical error. The Falcons could need Penix sooner than in September 2026 — unless they figure they’ll swathe him in bubble wrap for two years and roll again with Taylor Heinicke as QB2, which would be silly.

What the Falcons are trying to do — accommodate two high-level and high-salaried quarterbacks, both of whom are new to the club — was never going to be easy. Darned if they don’t seem to be making it harder.