Michael Penix Jr. gets more bad news amid Tua Tagovailoa competition

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. recently revealed that his "expectation" is that he'll be a full participant once training camp begins in late July after he was not cleared for 11-on-11 work throughout the spring. 

Penix is still recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, which has allowed free-agency signing Tua Tagovailoa to be penciled in atop Atlanta's depth chart through the offseason program. It sounds like Penix will enter the summer trailing Tagovailoa in a competition that may remain one-sided until head coach Kevin Stefanski names his Week 1 QB1.

Tua Tagovailoa closed the Falcons' minicamp in style

"Tua Tagovailoa had arguably one of his best practices of the spring Wednesday -- the Falcons' final day of minicamp," ESPN's Marc Raimondi shared. "In an 11-on-11 team session in the red zone, the quarterback went 3-for-3 with a touchdown pass over the middle to running back Bijan Robinson. He also had completions during that series to rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch and free agent acquisition Jahan Dotson."

Stefanski insisted that "we’re not giving out any jobs in June." Such a plan makes sense, but it remains to be seen what Penix will look like in practices ahead of Atlanta's preseason opener versus the Denver Broncos on Aug. 14. 

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa seems to have taken advantage of receiving quite a head start in the battle for the starting job.

Is Michael Penix Jr. already the Falcons' second-choice option? 

"Michael Penix Jr. made some nice passes during 7-on-7 work, as well, finding wide receiver Casey Washington, running back Nathan Carter and wide receiver Dylan Drummond for touchdowns," Raimondi continued. "It was the first time this spring during practices open to media when it was clear that Penix was working with the second-team offense."

Raimondi added that Penix "still is not healthy enough to truly compete at this juncture." That won't change until Falcons players get back together for the start of training camp, so it's probably fair to say that Tagovailoa remains the favorite to get the nod for Atlanta's Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13.