Falcons Undecided On Starting QB

Tua Tagovailoa has taken the majority of first-team reps through spring practices and training camp. The free agent addition has benefitted from missed time on the part of Michael Penix Jr. during his ACL recovery. Both passers are now healthy, though, and Atlanta has a limited window of time to decide on a starter to begin the season.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said the QB1 call will be a group decision. Cunningham, head coach Kevin Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank will all be involved with naming the Week 1 starter. Blank oversaw a revamp of the team’s front office and coaching staff this offseason, with Ryan, Cunningham and Stefanski all being brought in.

“We all talk about it,” Cunningham said (via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi). “We all have been talking about it forever. So, at the end of the day, we’ll make the decision, and when it’s time to make the decision, we’ll let you know.”

Tagovailoa was cut by the Dolphins in a move which generated a record-breaking dead money charge. The 28-year-old quickly lined up a deal with Atlanta worth $1.22MM for 2026. That low-risk move will give the Falcons insurance behind Penix or a signal-caller relied on to lead their offense if the 2024 first-rounder struggles to acclimate to Stefanski’s system. 2026 is critical in Penix’s case with a fifth-year option call needing to be made next spring.

Atlanta was among the teams to carry four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man rosters following cutdowns this past weekend. Veteran Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand are also in the fold at this time, and Cunningham did not publicly confirm those two are out of contention for the starting gig. Nevertheless, it remains the expectation that either Tagovailoa will continue operating the offense through Week 1 or Penix will impress the coaching staff over the coming days and begin the year atop the depth chart.