The Atlanta Falcons are seemingly holding a genuine quarterback competition in the 2026 season, and the two combatants are a veteran looking for a second chance in Tua Tagovailoa and a young player in Michael Penix Jr. who is working his way back from a serious injury last season.
The Falcons have largely let Tagovailoa run the show, with the organization often citing a desire to be overly cautious with Penix as the justification. The latest updates from Falcons offseason practices show a continuation of that trend, as Penix is looking more like a backup than Kevin Stefanski's QB1.
"It was the first time this spring during practices open to media when it was clear that Penix was working with the second-team offense," said Marc Raimondi of ESPN. "Even though the Falcons continue to insist that Penix won't get his QB1 shot until he is healthy, Tua continues to put distance between himself and the former Top 10 pick. "
Tua Tagovailoa getting QB1 reps ahead of Michael Penix Jr. at Falcons practice
For all of Tagovailoa's many faults as a player, he has shown enough accuracy and timing to lead the NFL in passing yards and passer rating on separate occasions. Even though his star potential has ebbed away, he has shown he can operate a pro offense when he gets even reasonable offensive line play in front of him.
Penix hasn't exactly covered himself in glory in his limited playing time. Despite the fact that he had a solid offensive line and a tremendous trio of playmakers in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts at his disposal, Penix threw just 12 touchdown passes in 12 starts and led Atlanta to a 4-8 record in those games.
Penix is a unique player to observe. While he is still entering his third season and has yet to start a full season of games, he is also 26 years old. Penix is the same age as Trevor Lawrence and Brock Purdy, who have both established themselves as above-average quarterbacks. Wasn't part of Penix's appeal that he could play right away?
Penix has the superior arm by leaps and bounds, but with his body breaking down and his accuracy starting to waver, a coaching staff and front office that had no part in picking him is not going to give him the same level of developmental leeway. Penix may need to unseat Tagovailoa, even with Tua getting QB1 reps as No. 9 gets eased back into things.
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