The Atlanta Falcons still haven’t named a Week 1 starter at quarterback, but the calendar may be about to make the decision for them. One respected NFL insider laid out why the answer is trending quickly in the direction of Tua Tagovailoa.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote that the Falcons are looking as if they have no other choice but to open the season with Tagovailoa, even as Michael Penix Jr. works his way back from a torn ACL.
Albert Breer Says Falcons May Have to Start Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa’s preseason debut Friday didn’t help his case to win the starting job. But it may not matter.
He went 3-of-5 for 22 yards, and the offense managed a single first down across his two series. But Breer cautioned against reading too much into it.
“It’s my understanding that wasn’t indicative of his summer, which has been solid in his first year playing for Kevin Stefanski,” Breer wrote.
The bigger issue is time. Penix has flashed his arm but remains limited to 7-on-7 work, and the opener is now less than four weeks away.
“So even if he’s cleared this week, there’s going to be an acclimation period, and the train is rolling fast now toward Week 1,” Breer wrote. He added that the 10 other players in the huddle also need to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that at some point the team has to be fair to them.
The timeline is the problem. Penix tore his ACL last November, his third ACL surgery in eight seasons dating back to college, and he still hasn’t been cleared for full team drills. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has taken the bulk of the first-team reps all summer, which has by default given him a head start on the job.
Why Tua Tagovailoa Looks Like a Falcons Stopgap
Breer made clear he wants the Falcons to get a long look at Penix in 2026. But he acknowledged the team can’t really do that until he’s actually playing behind a real offensive line.
What they do know is they have a veteran in Tagovailoa, which is why they signed him in the first place.
“They know what they’ve got in Tagovailoa, who has shown he can be the accurate, efficient quarterback that he was at his best in Miami under Mike McDaniel,” Breer wrote. “In the short term, the idea of just building for that isn’t a bad one.”
The long-term picture is where it gets complicated. Breer sees Tagovailoa, who signed a one-year deal, as a placeholder while the new regime sorts out its future at the position.
“The fact is the Falcons—and the rest of the NFL—already have an idea what Tagovailoa is, and in Atlanta that’s probably a stopgap to whoever winds up being the quarterback that Stefanski, Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan build around,” Breer wrote.
Breer stated that group of new decision-makers will need to determine by the end of 2026 whether they have their answer at quarterback or not, which is why Penix needs as much playing time as possible once he’s healthy.
It becomes a balancing act for Atlanta: win now with Tagovailoa while gathering the information it needs on Penix.
“There should be a chance to serve both the team’s short-term interest (with Tagovailoa) while getting the long-term assessment they need (on Penix),” Breer wrote. “It’ll just be a little tricky to pull off.”
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