The season opener is 10 days away, and the Atlanta Falcons still haven't named a starting quarterback. The battle between Michael Penix Jr.. and Tua Tagovailoa is still ongoing, and it appears that Kevin Stefanski is going to wait until the latest possible moment to name a Week 1 starter.
Since Penix was just cleared for full contact a week ago and Tagovailoa hasn't had a great summer, the Falcons need to evaluate both of them more before making a determination. And while Stefanski has urged patience, general manager Ian Cunningham doubled down in saying that they're not ready.
While Cunningham and assistant GM Jeff Scott addressed the media on Wednesday, the burning question on everyone's mind was about what's going on under center. And again, the revelation was that there's no update--and things are getting messy throughout the Falcons' quarterback purgatory.
"We all talk about it. We all have been talking about it forever," Cunningham said. ... "When it comes time to make the decision, we'll let you know."
The Atlanta Falcons are still not ready to name a starting quarterback
All offseason long, Atlanta has decided to just keep kicking the can down the road until they physically can't anymore. First it was waiting until Michael Penix Jr. was cleared for 11-on-11s to evaluate both signal-callers at the same level, and even now, the indecisiveness is crystal clear.
The unfortunate part about the Falcons' quarterback competition is that it's being driven by external factors. Penix has been ramping up, but it remains to be seen if they feel comfortable starting him Week 1 with such little reps of full contact under his belt--which is why Cunningham said they want to see more full reps of the former top-10 pick in practice--but Tua isn't making this decision any easier.
He's been the healthier of the two all offseason, but has not looked like an NFL-caliber starter this offseason. He had a four-week lead on his competition and was never able to lock the job down--if anything he's lost ground given his lingering fumble woes and inability to push the football downfield.
This new Falcons' regime is well aware of what rides on this decision, so they're right to not take it lightly. It's going to define how this season goes, which is why they're allowing everyone to help make it. Cunningham even revealed that this decision won't just be Stefanski's--it's an organizational one.
Ian Cunningham does not want to commit to anything, and nor should he. The Dirty Birds are in a position where time is of the essence, but rushing this decision for everyone else's sake would be a mistake. So even if Michael Penix Jr. feels like the likely QB1, we truly have no clue how this will end.
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