Atlanta’s backup QB may play in the preseason after all.

Raheem Morris said Michael Penix Jr. is not likely to play this Friday, but they will have further conversations about Kirk Cousins. Said they’ll know more after joint practices.

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 12, 2025

Despite the growing trend of NFL teams playing their starters in the preseason, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is taking a more cautious approach. The team did not play many starters in last week’s preseason opener, and Morris isn’t planning on changing his mind anytime soon.

That means we won’t see quarterback Michael Penix Jr. until Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. However, Morris is less certain about his plan for highly paid backup Kirk Cousins. The Falcons head coach left the door open for Cousins to possibly play in the preseason during his Tuesday press conference.

“Kirk, we’ll talk about,” explained Morris, who said he would have a better idea about Cousins following the team’s two joint practices with the Titans.

The Falcons didn’t play Cousins at all in the preseason last year, but that was when he was the starter and coming off an Achilles injury. Penix played a few snaps against the Miami Dolphins in the 2024 preseason but did not appear in the two other exhibitions.

We wouldn’t count on Cousins to play, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Falcons to let him get some reps to help raise his trade value. There are a few quarterback situations that are somewhat unsettled around the NFL. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is fighting a back injury that has caused him to miss several practices.

An article from CBS Sports floated the idea of Atlanta trading Cousins to the Rams.

“There is little doubt Cousins would rush to be at the helm of Sean McVay’s offense, especially with sitting behind Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta being the alternative,” wrote CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin.

For now, Cousins remains in Atlanta where he will be the highest-paid player on the team in 2025.

Check out some highlights and updates from the Falcons’ first open practice with the Tennessee Titans.