After benching veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins late in the 2024 season to give Michael Penix Jr. valuable reps, the Atlanta Falcons hoped they’d found their future franchise signal-caller. But after an uneven rookie campaign and more inconsistency through the first six games of this season, Penix’s development has come under fresh scrutiny.
Now, with Penix sidelined by a bone bruise in his left knee suffered in Week 7, the Falcons have turned back to Cousins for their upcoming matchup against the Miami Dolphins. While the team insists the move is precautionary, many fans believe it’s a case of déjà vu and that Penix is being soft-benched.
Falcons Fans Aren’t Buying the “Precautionary” Label
Penix Jr., who’s led the Falcons to a 3–3 record through six starts this season, suffered a bone bruise in his left knee late in Atlanta’s Week 7 matchup. Though he finished the game, reports surfaced Saturday morning that he might not suit up against the Miami Dolphins due to lingering discomfort.
Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters that Penix was limited in practice this week, while veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins took “significant” first-team reps, a sign the team was preparing for the possibility of a change under center.
“I’m really confident in our backup,” Morris said about Cousins. “We’re gonna give [Penix] every opportunity we can give him. The kid is tough.”
Late Saturday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that Penix would officially be sidelined, with Cousins set to make his first start of the season.
“Falcons Kirk Cousins officially is starting Sunday in place of the injured Michael Penix, per sources. It will mark Cousins’ first start this season,” Schefter posted.
While the move is being framed as precautionary, some fans believe there’s more to the story. Penix’s inconsistent play, coupled with Cousins’ return to the starting role, has sparked speculation that his absence might be less about injury and more about performance, a “soft benching” in disguise.
“They soft benching my goat,” one fan wrote.
“The soft bench strikes again,” a second fan wrote.
“soft bench of doom,” a third fan agreed.
Through six games, Penix has thrown for 1,409 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 61% of his passes. It’s not an impressive stat line, but he’s shown flashes of promise, like his 313-yard outing in the Falcons’ Week 4 win over the Commanders.
Penix currently ranks 25th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric, and swapping him out for a 37-year-old veteran only makes sense if the Falcons have lost all faith in their young QB. But if Cousins lights it up on Sunday, things could get very interesting in Atlanta.
“This got potential to be a nasty upcoming week if the Falcons offense looks better passing game wise,” a fan wrote.
“Translation: Atlanta wants to showcase him for a possible trade by letting him start against an absolute dogcrap defense,” another fan argued.
“Cousins back under center against Miami should be interesting. If he looks sharp, the Falcons might rethink how soon they rush Penix back. Big test for that offense,” another wrote.
At this point, a trade showcase seems more plausible than a soft bench. With Miami’s defense struggling, even a decent showing from Cousins won’t be enough to convince the Falcons to bench Penix. But it could potentially raise his trade value as several teams around the league search for quarterback help.