The biggest burning question about the Atlanta Falcons' offseason has been about when Michael Penix Jr. will return from his torn ACL. Because the sooner he is cleared for full contact, the sooner the franchise can embark on the new quarterback competition between him and Tua Tagovailoa.
The expectation was initially going to be that the third-year quarterback would be cleared in time for the start of training camp, but new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that wouldn't be the case, but when Penix himself took the podium, he offered an even worse dose of bad news.
While addressing the media, the 26-year-old revealed because this is his third ACL tear in the last seven years, he does not want to rush himself back. He said that in his last two instances he was cleared by this point, and followed that up by saying that full clearance may still be a ways away.
"I was told another four weeks possibly going into that next stage but at the same time it could be earlier," he said.
Tua Tagovailoa is essentially confirmed to be the Falcons' starter now
Penix said that his doctor told him that it will be another four weeks before he's cleared for full contact, and if this is the case, the Falcons no longer have a quarterback battle. It would be virtually impossible for him to suit up Week 1 if he isn't even cleared for 11-on-11s for another month.
Essentially that means he would be limited for the vast majority of training camp, and given his injury history, it would be foolish to throw him into the fire in Pittsburgh with that little 11-on-11 reps under his belt, so there's basically no way Stefanski would feel comfortable giving him the start come Week 1 when he's been spearheading the idea of being patient with the young lefty.
So while Tua Tagovailoa is dealing with a minor back injury, it hasn't changed the inevitable here. He emerged as the runaway favorite to be the the Week 1 starter weeks ago, and now we basically know he will be, especially since allowing him to start the season will give Penix more time to get healthy.
Not only is Tua the healthier of the two (by a wide margin, might I add), he's also the better fit for a Stefanski offense built on timing and accuracy. So once we see him return to the field in training camp in the coming days, it won't take long for him to officially put the nail in the coffin in this QB battle.
The Atlanta Falcons have been looked at as a team with a quarterback battle brewing in training camp, but because of Michael Penix Jr.'s health, this battle will be over before it even starts and he'll begin the season on the bench.
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