The overarching storyline of the Atlanta Falcons' offseason has been the quarterback competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. Some want Penix to kick off 2026 as the starter, and others want Tua, but the fact of the matter is we have no idea how things will play out this summer.
Neither scenario would be overly surprising, especially now that we know the Falcons are planning to split reps between them at QB1. However, the QB battle could find a way to be settled before it even began, and we're only a couple of days into OTAs--and that sample size isn't enough evidence for Kevin Stefanski to work with.
With that in mind, Tagovailoa is reported to have been sharper in OTAs thus far, and it's hardly surprising. He's the healthier of the two signal-callers and was signed to be the more immediate starter, so it sounds like he's the one with the fast track to the QB1 job before training camp starts.
Tua Tagovailoa has an early edge to become the Falcons' starting QB
The 28-year-old signed a one-year minimum deal with the Dirty Birds in free agency, where he's hoping to revive his career after a brutal campaign with the Miami Dolphins in 2025. He threw 15 interceptions and was benched for Quinn Ewers, but Atlanta believes that season was a mirage.
In 2023, Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards (and made the Pro Bowl) and led the league in completion percentage in 2024. He's proven relatively recently that he can still be a serviceable starter, especially in a situation catered to his strengths like the one he'll enter with the Falcons.
The 2020 first-round pick from Alabama is one of the more accurate passers in the NFL, and in a system built upon timing and accuracy, he's a perfect fit. And he's also the player that Stefanski and this new regime chose to sign, while they adopted Penix from the previous regime who drafted him.
The real reason it seems like Tua will end up the Week 1 starter is because Penix is still recovering from his partially-torn ACL. He's been ramping up in recent weeks and has been throwing since mid-March, so while he's on a good trajectory for Week 1, the last thing you want to do is rush him back.
However, just because he starts the season as Stefanski's desired QB1 option doesn't mean he'll finish the season there. I expect both Penix and Tua to start games at some point this season (especially given their injury histories), and I think the decision to start him to buy his potential successor extra time to get healthy would be unsurprising.
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