Despite holding a four-week lead on Michael Penix Jr. in the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback battle, Tua Tagovailoa has somehow squandered all of it. Penix was cleared for full contact late last week and despite taking his first 11-on-11 reps on Monday, he's already bridged the gap in this competition.
In fact, it's starting to feel like this is Penix's competition to lose since Tua is looking absolutely brutal in practice. And then he didn't ease any concerns in the preseason opener, but thankfully he'll have a chance to get revenge in the Falcons' preseason finale this week, since we know the starters will play.
The NFL gods must work in mysterious ways, because it happens that Atlanta is headed to Hard Rock Stadium to face off with the Miami Dolphins tonight. So not only is Tua making his return to Miami, that same matchup could be the one that determines if he wins the starting quarterback gig--especially since Penix will not play and Tagovailoa is in line to get the start.
The Falcons' preseason finale is Tua Tagovailoa's revenge game with the Dolphins
You already know the 28-year-old has had this matchup circled on his calendar for a while. He spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Dolphins, he led them to the playoffs twice, and the team signed him to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension before everything went sideways.
Tua was plagued by concussions (and other injuries) and ultimately became a shell of his former Pro Bowl self, which came to a head in 2025. He threw a career-high 15 interceptions which led to the Dolphins absorbing a record $99.2 million in dead cap in order to release him earlier this offseason.
Even if he only briefly plays, it will be a heavy couple of series. It's a different Dolphins regime than the one that released him, but the ownership is the same. Since he's looking to prove that they never should have move on from him in favor of Malik Willis, so the chip on his shoulder is larger than ever.
Considering how he ended up with the Dirty Birds, there's a lot of pressure to perform. If he loses this battle to Penix, he likely ends up in QB purgatory as no more than a bridge starter or quality backup--but if things go well, he can turn his career around by re-establishing himself as a respectable starter.
This will be the last time the Falcons play before the roster cut deadline, and the clock is ticking for Kevin Stefanski to make a decision. And with how Michael Penix Jr. is starting to challenge him, Tua Tagovailoa needs to put his best foot forward in his revenge game with the Dolphins to stay afloat. The good news is that Penix's return has seen him start to improve in practice.
Given the extenuating circumstances, it remains to be seen whether he'll fall under the weight of these expectations or rise above the external noise--and his performance could ultimately decide the direction of the QB battle.
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