Raheem Morris states Michael Penix Jr. 'showed us last week enough' to sit for remainder of preseason games

Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. did not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Ravens. Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris revealed why after the game, sharing that Penix is one-and-done for the preseason.

The former Washington star dazzled in Atlanta’s preseason opener against the Dolphins last week and Morris doesn’t feel the need to play him anymore this preseason.

“Mike showed us last week enough that we don’t have to play him again in the preseason,” Morris said, according to Terrin Waack.

Michael Penix Jr. was 9 of 16 passing for 104 yards in last week’s preseason opener against the Dolphins. He displayed command of the Falcons offense and made some impressive throws against Miami’s defense.

Morris detailed in a press conference last week what he saw from the rookie against the Dolphins.

“It was a pretty clean cut evaluation on what he can do, the plays that he made the mistakes on. … I was really fired up about his overall operation, his demeanor, his ability to see what he saw on the grass, when he comes off the grass and being able to talk to you about exactly what happened,” Morris said.

“The game was a little bit slower for him, which you like. And that stuff is always good when you have those type of things. So really operationally he was even better than he had been in practice in the huddle, which is really good because he had gotten so much better from even the spring to now. So to see that improvement that fast, that quickly, I was really fired up about what he was able to do. And not just throwing the football around. He threw it nice but just overall playing the position, going through the stuff. … That was really good. A really good day for him.”

Michael Penix Jr. spent his first four seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers, before hitting the transfer portal and joining the Washington Huskies for his final two years.

During his final two seasons with the Huskies, Penix became the first quarterback to throw for over 4,500 yards in back-to-back seasons since Patrick Mahomes did it at Texas Tech. He firmly cemented his status as one of the best quarterbacks in college football history, guiding the Huskies to a berth in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. He also finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, with LSU QB Jayden Daniels bringing home the honor.

The second-place finish was the highest in school history for a player from the Washington program. In 2023, Penix carved up opposing secondaries to the tune of 4,903 passing yards, the second most in Pac-12 history. It was also the second straight season that Penix led the nation in passing yards. Penix also brought home Walter Camp first team All-American honors in 2023.

He put up one of the all-time great performances in College Football Playoff history against the Texas Longhorns in the 2024 CFP Semifinal (Sugar Bowl). Penix earned MVP honors in the Sugar Bowl after he completed 28 of his 38 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Huskies to a 37-31 victory.