Michael Penix Jr. enters Atlanta Falcons training camp as the established starting quarterback, while the club’s rebuilt pass rush and a new kicking competition headline the major decisions ahead of the 2025 season.
Atlanta Falcons 2025 Training Camp Preview: Penix Leads Key Roster Battles
SEO Title: Atlanta Falcons 2025 Training Camp Preview: Penix, Pass Rush and Kicker Battle
SEO Description: Michael Penix Jr. is set to lead the Falcons into 2025 training camp, with Atlanta monitoring rookie edge rushers, Kirk Cousins’ backup role and a competition at kicker.
Rookies and veterans are scheduled to report July 23 at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, Georgia. Atlanta will use camp and three preseason games to settle major questions at quarterback, edge rusher and kicker before the regular season begins.
- Michael Penix Jr. — Starting quarterback entering his second NFL season after making three starts as a rookie.
- Kirk Cousins — Backup quarterback after being replaced by Penix last season; entering camp at age 36 and continuing his recovery from a torn Achilles.
- Jalon Walker — Rookie edge rusher selected No. 15 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- James Pearce Jr. — Rookie edge rusher chosen later in the first round after Atlanta traded back into the round.
- Leonard Floyd — Veteran pass rusher signed during the offseason.
- Younghoe Koo — Incumbent kicker, coming off a career-low 73.5 percent field-goal season.
- Lenny Krieg — German-born kicker signed to a three-year contract that includes a signing bonus and guaranteed base salary.
Penix takes command of the offense
Penix has moved from a rookie who received three starts to the unquestioned leader of Atlanta’s offense. The left-handed passer will have a full summer to build timing with a pass-catching group that has remained mostly intact and to establish himself as the voice of the unit.
Cousins’ role remains one of the camp’s most unusual storylines. He lost the starting job to Penix during a disappointing 2024 season and now appears positioned as the No. 2 quarterback. His preseason workload will be closely watched, particularly if he shows improved mobility and performance another year after his Achilles injury. A strong showing could also renew trade interest from quarterback-needy teams.
Atlanta invests heavily in its pressure package
The Falcons made the pass rush a central offseason priority after recording only 31 sacks last season, the second-lowest total in the NFL. Atlanta brought in Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, signed Floyd and used two first-round selections on edge talent.
Walker, the former Georgia standout and 2024 Butkus Award winner, was picked 15th overall. The Falcons then returned to the first round for Pearce, selecting him 10 picks later after dealing away their 2026 first-round selection. Their development through practices and preseason action will be a major indicator of whether Atlanta’s expensive effort to create more pressure is taking hold.
Koo faces a genuine challenge
Koo has held Atlanta’s kicking job for six seasons, but his 2024 performance opened the door to competition. He made 73.5 percent of his field-goal tries, the lowest rate of his career, and missed three kicks in a three-point defeat late in the season.
Krieg arrives after impressing at the International Player Pathway program’s pro day. His three-year deal, featuring both a signing bonus and base-salary guarantee, represents a notable commitment to a player coming through the international pipeline. The next two months will decide whether Koo keeps the job or Krieg takes it.
Week ahead
Atlanta opens its preseason at home against the Detroit Lions at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 8. The Falcons then host the Tennessee Titans at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 15, with NFL Network carrying the game, before closing the preseason at the Dallas Cowboys at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 22, also on NFL Network.
The regular-season schedule will again present an early test: for a second straight year, Atlanta will face opponents that reached the previous season’s playoffs in four of its first five games.
