When the Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa, the expectation was that he'd be able to revive his career starting in lieu of Michael Penix Jr. while he recovers from his partially torn ACL. But at this point, it's far from a guarantee that Tagovailoa draws the Week 1 start over Penix in the first place.
Not only is the 2024 first-round pick seriously ramping up in his recovery, he's so ahead of schedule that he was able to take the field during Falcons' rookie minicamp. He's six months-post ACL tear, so with training camp two months away, we're in for the true quarterback competition we were promised.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's other signal-caller vying for the starting job was too busy golfing to show up to minicamp. That should give you every indication of where things stand right now, but since training camp has yet to even begin, he could just be saving his best football for when things count since OTAs only kicked off on Monday.
Tua Tagovailoa could get lapped by Michael Penix Jr. before the Falcons' QB battle even starts
Ideally, you want to see the 28-year-old in the building, working with his new staff and building chemistry with his new pass-catchers, but we have yet to see that. Meanwhile, these receivers (especially Drake London) already have an established rapport with Penix, but nothing with him.
It wasn't all that long ago that Tagovailoa was an MVP candidate, but we can't cling onto that forever. He was a Pro Bowler in 2023 for leading the league in passing yards and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024, but he finished second in the NFL after throwing a career-high 15 interceptions.
He was plagued by a hamstring issue from the end of 2024, and we all know about the concussion issues. He was so bad last year he was benched for seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Kevin Stefanski doesn't see him as a Penix successor, he's more of an insurance option for the Dirty Birds.
With that in mind though, the situation is better than it's been in a while. The offensive line is good, and playing with elite weapons like London and Bijan Robinson will make his life easier. But all he really is at this point is a product of his situation, while the Washington product has a much higher ceiling.
The Falcons clearly want to see things through with Penix. They have invested a lot in him this offseason and know he has the talent to turn things around with a competent offensive staff. So while he continues to shine in some clips under center, he has a lot more to prove in camp and the preseason. And if all goes well, I don't think it's crazy to think Tua spends most of 2026 as a backup.
The better MPJ looks and the more he progresses, the more open this QB battle gets--and right now, I expect him to win out as long as he continues to get healthier. Tua was signed to a low-risk deal, which means the Falcons could have one of the NFL's best backup QBs at a wildly cheap price tag.
Add us as a preferred source on Google