The Atlanta Falcons shocked the NFL world when they drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. No one expected the team that had signed Kirk Cousins to a massive $180 million deal a month earlier to use a top-10 pick on a QB.
And here we are two years later, still with little knowledge if the Falcons have made the right selection or not. We simply haven't seen enough to know what he is yet. Unfortunately, that isn't likely to change in 2026, as he will wind up being the team's biggest bust of the year, by no fault of his own.
The biggest bust of Atlanta's season will come from the quarterback who won't be given an opportunity to prove himself on the gridiron. Penix Jr. is behind schedule in his rehab, and his new coaching staff won't give him the same loyalty as the previous one.
The Falcons will never know what they truly have in Michael Penix Jr.
Kevin Stefanski clearly brought in Tua Tagovailoa for a reason; he sees him as his starter. The former Browns head coach has emphasized accuracy from the position, which is something Tua does better than his counterpart.
And while going over every team's biggest bust entering 2026, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton highlighted this by naming the young quarterback the Falcons' biggest bust.
"By default, Tagovailoa has the upper hand in this battle heading into training camp," Moton wrote. "As the Falcons' starter from the previous two seasons, Penix doesn't have the advantage of being the incumbent under a new coaching staff... "By the start of the preseason, Tagovailoa may be in pole position for the lead role. Even if Penix wins the competition, his spotty 59.6 percent completion rate could eventually cost him the job. Tagovailoa has a career 68 percent completion rate."
They are accurate assessments. While the coaching staff has said that the competition won't start until Penix Jr. is a full participant, it is hard to imagine that is fully true.
And even if it is, there is no getting around the fact that Tua has had more time to train and knock off the offseason rust. Meanwhile, the other lefty has been more focused on rehabbing his surgically repaired knee. The speed at which Tua can get a handle on Stefanski's offense and perform in live action will be much quicker than Penix Jr.'s.
And the bad news for the 26-year-old is that as long as Tua stays healthy, he'll be just good enough to keep the starting gig and potentially land an extension. While a lot can happen between now and the next few years, the likelihood is that Michael Penix Jr. won't have a fair shot at becoming the Falcons' franchise quarterback before his rookie deal expires.
Add us as a preferred source on Google