FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons kicked off AT&T Training Camp with a bit of quarterback news.

Included in that news was the announcement that third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has not yet been cleared by his medical team to practice fully after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn ACL last season. He can participate in individual drills and do 7-on-7 work, but anything in full-team periods or that involves contact is still off the table for Penix. That is nothing different from what he did in OTAs and minicamp, though, and Penix was active and throwing for much of Wednesday's practice.

Speaking with the media afterwards, Penix expressed some disappointment at not being fully cleared to start training camp but said he understands the importance of practicing patience with his body and the recovery process.

"I saw my doctor, and he let me know," Penix said. "We just want to err on the safer side to make sure I am where I need to be, physically and mentally, before I go out there and take my next steps. ... It's tough (not being out there fully), but at the same time I feel like your health is the most important. For me, I want to take that seriously. I have a long injury history, and the last thing I want to do is rush back just to get on the field. I want to make sure my body is healthy. That way, when I do get on the field, I can give this team 100%."

Penix's rehab is taking place amidst the backdrop of a quarterback competition in Atlanta. The Falcons signed veteran Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, but he is also missing the start of training camp due to a minor injury, with Stefanski saying he'd be back on the field "sooner than later." Without either quarterback able to participate in the full-team periods on Wednesday, undrafted rookie Jack Strand was the primary passer with freshly signed veteran Cooper Rush spelling him when needed.

There wasn't much full-team work on Wednesday, however, which meant that Penix has plenty of opportunities to throw the ball. Until Tagovailoa can rejoin the action, these are valuable reps for Penix as he continues to build chemistry with new receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus and learn the ins and outs of Rees's offense. When he's not in the huddle, Penix says he's using every chance to get a mental rep. He does this by standing behind the quarterback who is on the field and dissecting the defense from that vantage point, going through the play call in his mind and what he'd do in that situation.

"Yeah, I haven't gotten the sense really from Mike at any point that the injury was affecting his preparation," Stefanski said ahead of practice. "He's rehabbing an injury, but the way he attacks his day-to-day, from meetings to what we do again on the grass, he's a consummate pro. Very intelligent, has been in different systems, so he can talk through the nuances of certain schemes that he's been exposed to, if you will. But very intelligent player."

Penix said he'd meet again with his medical team before the season starts but that he's been feeling good throughout all of the work he's done thus far. In his most recent check-in with his doctor, Penix said he was told another four weeks — possibly sooner — before he'd be ready to progress to the next stage, depending on how his body responds to his work in training camp. Until then, Penix's focus will remain where it has been this offseason.

"I can't even think about the season until I am recovered," he said. "I can't be on the field unless I am 100% healthy, so I have to make sure I take the rehab process seriously."

Notes and observations from practice:

Wednesday's practice was a fairly quick one that featured a lot of position-specific work during individual periods and a few big plays during the offense-vs-defense drills. Here's what I saw.

Getting tight ends involved: There have been questions about what Atlanta's new offense under coordinator Tommy Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski would look like, and we got our first glimpse of that early in Wednesday's session. After spending time on individual work, the offense gathered on one practice field while the defense gathered on the other to go through plays as a unit. The first three plays Atlanta's offense ran against air all came out of 13 personnel, which features three tight ends. Heavy personnel groupings have been a hallmark of Stefanski's time calling plays, and the Browns deployed two tight ends at the highest rate in the league last year with Rees running the offense. With Kyle Pitts, Austin Hooper and Charlie Woerner on the roster, the Falcons are well-equipped to have multiple tight ends on the field at once.

Play-action passes: During that same period, there were multiple plays where the quarterback ran a play-action fake from under center. Fans who have been clamoring for more under-center, play-action passes should like what they see from this offense.

Jerrell running at right tackle: Michael Jerrell worked with the first-team offensive line at right tackle on Wednesday. He worked with the starters during OTAs and minicamp while free-agent signee Jawaan Taylor works through an injury. Taylor was placed on the active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list Wednesday morning, leaving Jerrell, Jack Nelson and rookie Ethan Onianwa to play the position in his absence.

"Doing well," Stefanski said of Jerrell Wednesday. "I got to see him work a little bit yesterday. He's doing well, getting better. Different guys come in at different stages of their rehab. So, there's some roster things that you have to do in camp with the PUP and those types of things. But, I feel confident in all those guys that they're all really progressing well."

Aside from Jerrell, the starting offensive line group consisted of the typical players: Jake Matthews at left tackle, Matthew Bergeron at left guard, Ryan Neuzil at center and Chris Lindstrom at right guard.

New faces on defense: Christian Harris continues to get the first reps next to Divine Deablo at inside linebacker, and he had a good pass breakup against Pitts during the full-team session at the end of practice. Other newcomers who are getting run with the usual starters are safety Sydney Brown, who played a bit of nickel in the 11-on-11 period, and Samson Ebukam and Da'Shawn Hand, who were a big part of the defensive line rotation.

Rushed into action: In the wake of their quarterback news Wednesday, the Falcons signed veteran Cooper Rush just before the start of practice. It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for Rush, who is now learning a new playbook and introducing himself to a building full of new faces. He didn't receive a ton of snaps in the first practice, but that will likely change as camp continues this week.

Top plays from offense vs. defense periods

• Brian Robinson Jr. ran a great wheel route out of the backfield and caught a deep pass from Penix against Edge defender Jalon Walker. The coverage from Walker was tight, but it was a great throw and a good opportunity for Robinson to show off his receiving skills.

• Speaking of big-time throws, the best pass of the day came from Penix just a couple of plays later. Rookie receiver Zachariah Branch lined up across from A.J. Terrell and used his 4.35 speed to get behind him on a vertical route. Penix laid the ball over his outside shoulder and allowed Branch to stay a step ahead of Terrell and the safety to haul it in for a touchdown.

• Cornerback C.J. Henderson had a good pass breakup against Chris Blair to end the 7-on-7 session in practice, and he nearly came down with a big interception on a pass from rookie Jack Strand intended for receiver Dylan Drummond. While he high-pointed the ball well and got his hands on it, Henderson couldn't keep control of the ball all the way to the ground.

• Kendal Daniels was back out on the field Wednesday after missing OTAs and minicamp with an injury. The rookie subbed in at linebacker after the starters and was mostly paired with fellow first-year defender Harold Perkins Jr., who has been getting a lot of action at inside linebacker as well.

• Charlie Woerner was fairly active as a checkdown option, which felt notable for a player with 15 catches in his two seasons with the Falcons. It could be a sign of just how involved the tight ends will be in this offense.

• Defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell, who has played in the UFL the last two seasons, earned what likely would have been a sack on Sunday with a great rep that illustrated the kind of get-off defensive line coach Nate Ollie demands.

• Practice ended with a leaping, downfield pass breakup by cornerback Cobee Bryant on the left sideline.