For the 2024 season, the keyword is dynamic. The NFL introduced the Dynamic Kickoff to ensure that people kept their eye on the special teams aspect of the game. Six quarterbacks and a record 14 straight offensive players were selected at the top of this year's draft, giving those bottom-tier teams a dynamic piece to add to their respective offenses. Record-setting contracts are being signed throughout the off-season to ensure that teams like the Green Bay Packers , Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins keep their dynamic offenses intact. So, when a member of the Dolphins stated that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. didn't look "very dynamic talent-wise" in Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer's roundup of this weekend's preseason action, it felt like a slight to the eighth-overall pick's solid debut.
The Atlanta Falcons got a solid performance from Michael Penix Jr. Outside of a few missed connections resulting from his timing being a bit off with his receivers, Penix showcased his down-the-field accuracy and ran a really clean operation with the poise of a guy who was a multi-year starter in both the Big Ten and the Pac-12. (For what it’s worth, I did talk with someone on the other side that didn’t feel like Penix looked very dynamic talent-wise.)
The dynamic aspects of Penix's game wouldn't show up much on the stat sheet, beyond his 41-yard explosive to Chris Blair. Instead, the hype around Penix's performance is moreso around the process that led up to his solid performance.
Being able to read the two-man progression on the front side, then resetting his feet and hitting the backside dig. Eating a free-runner's hit and still getting the pass to a location where his favorite one-on-one matchup could potentially make a play on it.
Penix impressed, but there weren't many inherently big plays. Penix's poise, confidence in his first game and the feeling that he is not new to this big stage is what has analysts and fans in an uproar after Friday.
Hopefully on Friday, against the Baltimore Ravens, he is able to continue this momentum.
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