FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Nestled between the start of free agency and the NFL Draft is the Annual League Meeting, taking place this week in Phoenix, Arizona.
It's an opportunity for team owners, NFL executives and other officials to convene and discuss pressing league matters. Matt Ryan was among Atlanta's contingent on the trip, and the Falcons' president of football was understandably asked about his team's quarterbacks while doing the media rounds.
Atlanta now has two former top-10 picks at the position with Tua Tagovailoa joining Michael Penix Jr. after signing with the Falcons in free agency. Penix entered his second season as the team's starter but injured his knee in Week 11 and missed the rest of the year. After undergoing surgery on his knee last year, Penix is methodically rehabbing to work his way back to the field.
"I will say this about Michael: He's done everything the right way," Ryan told Kay Adams on Up & Adams. "He's been in the building. His rehab, his attention to detail during the rehab, has been excellent. Mindset, attitude, all of those things have been really really good. He's a really mature human that has good perspective on how to get the best out of himself, day to day."
There is no definitive timeline for Penix's return. The priority is getting him back to full health, whenever that may be.
Penix has started 12 games for the Falcons thus far, and he's had stretches that clearly illustrate why the organization felt conviction in selecting him with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Consistent success in the pros can be as much about the details as anything else, though, which Ryan understands as well as anyone.
So, while he's unable to throw the ball for the time being, Penix has spent time tossing questions to the former league MVP about the nuance of approaching the offseason successfully.
"He's come up to my office to chat," Ryan said on Up & Adams. "Just talking about, 'How would you lay out the offseason? At what times would you push to throw? If you were to rehab something coming back, would you spend time around the doctor out in LA; would you have people come back [here]?' Different things like that are things that I've gone through throughout my career.
"Talking about a new coaching staff coming in. It's the first time he's had to do that in his career, and I've had to do that at different times. And so it's like, how do you get out in front of things? How do you get up to speed as fast as possible? So, sharing with him some of the things that I had done in the past."
After missing some valuable time on the field last year, it's important for Penix to continue growing where he can. The Falcons have made no bones about it: They will have a competition at quarterback this year. This will be the first true competition Penix has experienced as a pro, and he'll be up against a quarterback who has had a good deal of success in the NFL.
In six seasons, Tagovailoa compiled a 44-32 record as a starting quarterback. During the 2022 season, he led all NFL quarterbacks in many different categories, including the percentage of passes that went for touchdowns (6.3%), yards per completion (13.7) and passer rating (105.5). In 2023, Tagovailoa led the league with 4,624 passing yards while helping the Dolphins attain an 11-6 record and reach the playoffs.
Despite the success he's had, Tagovailoa made it clear during his first conversation with Atlanta media members that his performance in 2025 "wasn't up to the standard" he's set for himself. Now with the opportunity for a "fresh start," as he put it, Tagovailoa will look to recapture his top form.
"At his best, he's one of the best rhythm and timing passers in the league," Ryan said on Up & Adams. "His ability to get the ball out on time, in rhythm, and in the timing of the play is, I think, really as good as anybody. He does a good job of layering the football, kind of throwing the football with touch over the middle of the field. Just layers it over that first level, drops it in before the second level. So, he's really strong there."
Tagovailoa explained that he is excited to compete for the quarterback job, believing that it will help make both him and Penix better.
When Ryan entered the league as the No. 3 pick in 2008, it was uncommon for rookie quarterbacks to start early. He stepped into a quarterback room that featured veterans Chris Redman and Joey Harrington, who was a former No. 3-overall pick, himself, as well as a talented fan favorite in D.J. Shockley. Ryan emerged from that four-way competition as the team's Week 1 starter, and he never looked back.
Through more than a decade in the league, Ryan has learned the value of competition and how a competitive tone can ripple throughout the locker room. He's often been part of establishing that tone, himself.
"One of the things I believe in is that those three or four guys that you have in your quarterback room got to be the most competitive people in your building. They have to. And that's what we want." Ryan told Mike Florio and Chris Simms on PFT Live. "We want highly competitive people in there that know how to go out there, compete, but then can put it away."
