Jessie Bates III had his locker next to Michael Penix Jr. last year at the Atlanta Falcons facility. The former Pro Bowl safety played against Penix most of last season in practice with the Falcons first-team defense going up against the then-rookie quarterback and the second team.
So, Bates got a firsthand view of Penix's progress away from the spotlight. Kirk Cousins was Atlanta's starter for most of last year. Now, Penix will step into that role from Week 1.
"That's QB1," Bates said earlier this month at minicamp.