Cam Newton drops absolute knowledge on Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.'s injury recovery

Cam Newton had some advice for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as he recovers from a torn ACL. On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons raised eyebrows when it was announced that Tua Tagovailoa would be their starting quarterback for Week 1 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The move comes despite Michael Penix Jr. being medically cleared for the new season, and with Tagovailoa having suffered through a largely brutal preseason performance with the team. Now, former Falcons rival Cam Newton spoke to Penix Jr. himself amid his recovery process. 'I suffered two major injuries in my career. My Achilles heel, no pun intended… was an ankle sprain… I tell you this story because the hardest thing for me to cope with was getting out of my own way. If I could go back and redo things, I would have sat out a whole season because I wasn't healthy,' he said, per 4th&1 with Cam Newton, via Cameron Wolfe on X, formerly Twitter. It's unclear if Newton is advising Penix Jr. himself to sit out for the entire upcoming season, but Falcons fans certainly don't want the former first-round pick to rush back if he doesn't feel ready to play. Article Continues Below The Falcons aren't exactly entering this year with sky-high expectations after some tough breaks this offseason, including a torn ACL suffered by rookie standout Jalon Walker and a suspension for fellow rookie star James Pearce Jr. Atlanta enters this season with a new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, who is hoping to help this team perform at a higher level than the sum of its parts. In any case, the Falcons will kick off their season, with Tagovailoa under center, on Sunday at 1:00 pm ET in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.