Falcons' QB situation looks bleak after Tua Tagovailoa's performance vs. Broncos

Tua Tagovailoa struggles in Falcons debut

It seemed like a bad omen when the former Pro Bowler dropped the snap on his first pass attempt, and things never really got better from there. Tagovailoa’s numbers don’t look too shabby on paper — 3-for-5 for 22 yards — but watching the game told a different story.

The former Miami Dolphins quarterback looked unsure of himself at times and was swarmed by the Broncos’ vaunted pass rush multiple times. He also had at least one bad throw that fell short of his intended target and into the grass, so the offense felt like a drag overall while the starting unit was in the game.

Of course, Tagovailoa deserves some grace from fans while he learns a new offense for the first time in years. He played in former head coach Mike McDaniel’s complex offense for four seasons, and it will likely take a while for him to learn a new scheme.

Why Falcons should have concerns about QB room

It should also be mentioned that injuries have been a major topic of discussion surrounding Tagovailoa for years now. He couldn’t stop suffering concussions earlier in his career, and the repeated blows to the head may still be impacting him to this day.

It’s tough to be optimistic about a quarterback room featuring two guys who are injury risks and still have noticeable flaws when they do manage to stay healthy. Tagovailoa and Penix Jr. are also engaged in a competition for the starting job that really hasn’t gotten underway since the latter still can’t take hits on the practice field.

The Falcons have one of the best defenses in the league and several weapons on offense, namely All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, so it’s felt like they just need a quarterback to make them a real threat in the NFC. It’s too early for the team to go into a full-blown panic, but it’s difficult not to be at least slightly concerned with how disjointed the offense looked against Denver.