The-Athletic on WACN 21 Newshttps://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/tags/the-athletic/Recent content in The-Athletic on WACN 21 NewsHugoen-us© 2026 WACN 21 News. All rights reserved.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:40:00 -0400Falcons training camp opens Wednesday; The Athletic tabs Michael Penix Jr. as the Atlanta player with the most on the line in 2026https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/sports/falcons-penix-jr-most-on-line-2026-july-21/Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:40:00 -0400https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/sports/falcons-penix-jr-most-on-line-2026-july-21/<p><strong>The Atlanta Falcons open 2026 training camp this week</strong>, with rookies reporting Tuesday and veterans Wednesday at the team&rsquo;s <strong>IBM Performance Field</strong> in Flowery Branch. The first open practice runs <strong>Thursday</strong>, and <strong>The Athletic</strong> marked the occasion by naming quarterback <strong>Michael Penix Jr.</strong> the one Atlanta player whose season will define the franchise&rsquo;s 2026 trajectory.</p> <p>Penix, <strong>25</strong>, enters his second full offseason as the presumptive starter after the Falcons traded <strong>Kirk Cousins</strong> in March and committed to the 2024 first-round pick as the long-term answer under center.</p>