Matt Ryan shares why Falcons have uncertainty regarding Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa

Earlier in the offseason, the Atlanta Falcons signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a team-friendly one-year contract as 2025 Week 1 starter Michael Penix Jr. continued his recovery from surgery he needed this past fall to repair a partially torn ACL.

During a Monday appearance on Atlanta sports radio station 680 The Fan, Falcons president of football Matt Ryan admitted that he can't yet say who first-year Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski will start at the sport's most important position this coming September. 

This is the "biggest" question regarding the Falcons' Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa quarterback competition

"I think the biggest thing is you just don't know where Michael's going to be at," Ryan explained, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "He's doing a great job. Since I took the job back in January, at the beginning of January, I think he's been in there, doing rehab, working with our rehab guy and...all the athletic training staff, all of those guys have done a great job. But you got to give the player credit. Mike has been on it and, you know, he looks good. He's done a lot of stuff for us on the field."

A March report claimed that the Falcons still viewed Penix "as the starter once he's healthy." Health is a big concern regarding the 2024 first-round draft pick, as he suffered two ACL tears before he became a pro. In total, Penix won just four of 12 starts across his first two NFL seasons. 

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa is attempting to resurrect his career after he was benched by the Miami Dolphins late in the 2025 campaign and then released by the organization in March of this year.

Falcons "don't really know what to expect" at this early stage of Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa battle

"I've never [gone] through an ACL, but there's certain milestones that you've got to hit, and the closer you get, the more variability there is because the intensity and the speed [pick] up," Ryan continued. "But Mike's in a good spot right now. So, as far as expectations, we don't really know what to expect at the beginning of training camp. But I think with the way both of those guys are working and the conversations we've had with both of them...I think the way both those guys have started the offseason, I think, will put us in a good spot."

One would think Tagovailoa should have at least a slight advantage because he doesn't have to worry about recovering from a serious physical setback while also learning a new playbook. For an article published on Tuesday, Josh Kendall of The Athletic hinted that Tagovailoa may be the better fit for Stefanski’s offense of the two signal-callers.