Falcons Make Starting Quarterback Decision

Atlanta signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.215 million deal in the offseason after the Miami Dolphins released him; he now carries a record $99.2 million in dead cap that Miami must take on. Tagovailoa will also be the Falcons’ sixth different Week 1 starting quarterback over the last six seasons.

Despite Tagovailoa’s notable concussion history and starting training camp with a back issue, the Falcons’ decision to name him their starting quarterback should not surprise many. Penix tore his ACL last November and had to undergo surgery. He also was not cleared for 11-on-11 team periods until the final week of training camp. Penix has now undergone three ACL surgeries across his collegiate and NFL career.

As for Tagovailoa, he started in two preseason games for the Falcons. In Atlanta’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, he went 3-of-5 for 22 yards on nine plays, and 7-of-8 for 95 yards in the second game against the aforementioned Dolphins.

Tagovailoa, however, fumbled a snap in both preseason matchups and was unable to launch the ball deep downfield, causing some worry that the Falcons’ quarterback room was not particularly sharp.

Despite those concerns, the Falcons seem very optimistic that Tagovailoa can hopefully become the same quarterback who led the NFL in passing yards (4,624) and posted a 69.3 percent completion percentage during the 2023 season after back-to-back disappointing seasons.