The Atlanta Falcons just got a huge boost.
The Atlanta Falcons received a massive piece of news on Saturday afternoon with the reveal that the quarterback battle is about to get a whole lot more interesting between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. in camp.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts that Penix -- who has been doing team drills but nothing in 11 on 11 and not yet cleared for contact during camp -- is now fully cleared and should be ready to go for a full practice on Monday.
This is extremely notable for a few reasons, one being that there is still a good bit of time left in training camp for him to make up any lost ground on Tagovailoa and compete for the starting job. All offseason long, the coaching staff downplayed any sort of battle until Penix was fully healthy and able to compete, and now that is the case.
Where Things Go from Here in Falcons QB Race
Penix has been very open about the fact that he was not ready to take a hit until doctors cleared him and it seemed he went about his recovery exactly how the staff wanted him to do so. Of course, you don't want him getting hit in practice, but the chance to run full team reps with still weeks to go until the season is huge.
Ultimately, Tagovailoa has struggled over the last week, and while Penix still has some serious ground to make up just in terms of reps, there is time to do it.
With how cautious both Penix and the team were seeming to be, his Week 1 status looked like it could be in doubt, and now that this is no longer the case, the entire outlook of the season could change with this news.
Stefanski has praised Penix since he's taken the job and clearly is a huge fan at least off the field. Now, the young lefty will get a chance to show his new head coach what he can do on the field and make his case why he should be this team's starter right out of the gate this year.
Monday might just be the most interesting day of camp yet, and when the team takes the field for another practice, all eyes will be on the passers. Get ready Falcons fans, because the battle has just begun.
