After selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft, most fans would expect him to see a lot of action during his first NFL preseason with the Atlanta Falcons, especially while starter Kirk Cousins continues to rehab from a torn Achilles tendon.
However, after going 9 for 16 for 104 yards in the team’s opening game against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Raheem Morris decided that would be Penix’s only action in the preseason.
“Nothing would be done on selfish thoughts of my own or trying to protect myself from a decision that we made together, it’s more about protecting our assets,” Morris said on the Up & Adams show.
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on the lack of preseason snaps for Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. 🗣️
"(It's not about) me protecting myself from a decision we made together, it's about PROTECTING our assets…"
@heykayadams @AtlantaFalcons #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/2WqEjEXamE
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 19, 2024
Even though Penix proved that he can stay healthy over his two seasons at Washington, the last thing the Falcons seem to want is for him to sustain any kind of injury during the preseason, especially after losing his college teammate Bralen Trice to a torn ACL.
“Michael’s role is really clear on what we want to see,” Morris said after the team’s second game against the Baltimore Ravens. “We had a chance to get him two really hard practices versus the Dolphins, which I value just as much as these games. And I got a chance to get him out there versus the Dolphins and go out there and all these things about mitigating injuries. And you can’t affect them all. You can’t help them all, but it’s certainly a player that I could, particularly with our scrimmage coming up.”