Michael Penix Jr. is finally returning for the Atlanta Falcons, a development fans had been waiting the entire offseason for. It is an upgrade for the team, which had to turn to backup quarterback Cooper Rush for the past two games and struggled badly. Tight end Kyle Pitts looked to be happy with the news, but many saw it as dismissive of Cooper Rush’s efforts.
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However, Pitts confirmed that it was not the case.
“yall dragging it,” Kyle Pitts Sr. wrote in his Instagram Story. “FIRST I’m not smiling at the fact that bro said ‘yall have a QB now’ It was someone behind the screen that made me smirk. Coop [Rush] fought for this team and did the best he could, yall are taking it out of proportion & gotta kill that narrative yall trying to run with.”
In the viral clip, the reporter asked the tight end about head coach Kevin Stefanski’s announcement about Penix’s return. He also asked about Pitts’ excitement levels now that the “old number nine” was back again.
“We heard it in the offensive meeting,” Pitts said. “It was great hearing that. But also, don’t wanna leave Coop out of it, and I want to give him his respects as well and appreciate all of what he’s done.”
Cooper Rush was named starter with Penix still not cleared from his ACL rehab, and Tua Tagovailoa (who had initially been named QB1 for the season opener) was also out with a back injury. Rush, a veteran backup, was thrust into the fire out of the blue and struggled massively. Atlanta lost both games he started in, with the quarterback posting 229 yards with a 56.4% accuracy, one touchdown, and four interceptions.
Things were bad enough for him to be benched in the Carolina Panthers game, and the Falcons replaced him with rookie Jack Strand. Atlanta lost that game 34-3.
Rush had been signed by the team in July, giving him much less time to adapt to the system, and was also dealing with back spasms before the opener. Strand had already taken first-team reps previously in the offseason when Tagovailoa was down with another injury.
Pitts also found it tough to strike up a connection with Rush as QB1. The veteran tight end only caught one pass for 15 yards. But things might change with Penix behind the center.
Penix was medically cleared for full practice in August, but he told the team before Week 1 he still wasn’t ready. Now, he is confident about finding his footing.
“I was feeling pretty good,” the quarterback told the press. “Monday morning came around and you know, I felt very confident with this week. I felt very confident in my knee.”
With the viral rumors squashed, focus returns to the gridiron. If Pitts and Penix can rekindle their chemistry, the Falcons’ passing attack could finally ignite against Green Bay.