FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Michael Penix Jr. saw a receiver sit down in a soft spot in the zone defense recently in practice, and he looked off inside linebacker Nate Landman and zipped it in for a completion.
"Great throw," said Landman, a third-year player who is one of the veterans helping Penix's transition into the NFL. Penix was taken with the No. 8 pick in the draft, but is sitting and learning from veteran Kirk Cousins.
"We'll make a play on field, I'm talking s--- on the sideline, and he'll go throw a dart, make a play, and then he'll look at me and point," Landman said. "So, we got a good dynamic going. He's pushing me. I'm pushing him. ... It's just kind of iron sharpening iron."
Falcons Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III has taken Penix under his wing in a different way, with constant dialogue. The two have lockers next to one another at the practice facility.
"I know at some point -- knock on wood -- it's just one play," Bates said of the possibility of a starting quarterback getting injured. "You never know what can happen in this game.
"And I'm just making sure that he's continued to prepare himself like he's a starter and preparing and learning and seeing the bigger picture. Because right now, it's hard. I'm sure it's hard for him to see what the bigger picture is."
Penix made his regular-season debut Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. The game, which the Falcons lost 34-14, was out of hand in the fourth quarter, and Penix spelled Cousins with 3:29 to play. Penix handed the ball off six times in seven snaps, but he was able to make the first official completion of his career, a throw to the left sideline to fellow rookie Casey Washington.
"I felt comfortable," Penix said. "For me, it was just about the offense and just making sure the operation is smooth. You can't like just go out there and wing it, you know?"
Penix isn't your typical rookie quarterback. He's 24 years old and took the University of Washington to the national championship game last season. Penix had more college reps than many signal-callers declaring for the draft.
Falcons quarterbacks coach TJ Yates said he and assistant quarterbacks coach DJ Williams, who has been an early mentor for Penix, will sit back in the QB room and listen to Cousins and Penix go over high-level techniques with each other from across the room.
"He is a very mature player and a mature person and a smart player," Yates said of Penix. "He's played a ton of college football. So, he has a lot of insight and a lot of experience that you wouldn't really expect from a rookie.
"It's almost like you view him as a rookie, but he'll be in there in the meetings and he'll have an input on something or he'll talk about a protection or whatever it is, and you kind of forget like, 'Oh, this dude's played a lot of ball.'"
Penix's main role this season has been scout-team quarterback. Last week, he took on the role of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, which was fitting since Penix's offensive coordinator at Washington, Ryan Grubb, is now the offensive coordinator in Seattle. Penix and Smith also have a great relationship after working out together in the spring of 2023.
"He's a special player," Smith told reporters after the game. "I think when he gets his opportunity, he's going to be ready for it. I really believe in him."
The Falcons' veterans and coaching staff have been tasked with making sure Penix is in position to be The Guy when the time comes. Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said with the opportunity to be in the room with Cousins and company, "I don't think you have a choice but to progress."
Penix said he took note of Cousins' speech to the team before their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers. Cousins' message was for the Falcons not to let down against a struggling team, which they ended up beating, 38-20.
"He had like a hype-up thing at the beginning of the game, get the guys going," Penix said. "Because we were going into an environment where a lot of people called it a trap game in a way. Just making sure that all the guys were ready to play. He got us all hyped up and just seeing little stuff like that, the way that he takes leadership definitely goes a long way."
Cousins' poise is also something Penix has noticed. Penix said seeing the way Cousins leads is something he's "glad to be able to witness each and every day."
When asked if all of this watching and learning and absorbing will help him be more ready for when he is QB1, Penix smiled.
"We'll see," he said. "I hope so."
Bates isn't concerned with all that. He's already impressed with what he has seen from Penix's left arm and what he has heard from Penix in the locker room and meetings.
"It's just good to be able to have conversations and dialogue about the game itself and hear from a quarterback that can play at a really high level," Bates said. "You usually don't have that in a building where you got a really good quarterback and then your backup is a really good quarterback, starting type of caliber, as well."