Falcons may be ready to make expected Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. decision

Free-agency signing Tua Tagovailoa was largely unimpressive in the Atlanta Falcons' preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, which the Falcons lost 27-7 this past Friday. 

That said, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained in a piece published on Monday why the Falcons may soon name Tagovailoa the team's Week 1 starting quarterback as 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. continues to recover from the surgery he needed last fall to repair a partially torn ACL. 

Tua Tagovailoa "has been solid" for the Falcons throughout the summer

"[Tagovailoa] went 3-of-5 for 22 yards, and the offense had just one first down over the two series he was out there," Breer wrote about the Falcons-Broncos game. "But it’s my understanding that wasn’t indicative of the summer he has had, which has been solid in his first year playing for (head coach) Kevin Stefanski. On the other hand, Michael Penix Jr., working his way back from a torn ACL, has flashed his ability to rip the ball, but is still limited to 7-on-7 work, and we’re now less than four weeks from the opener. So even if he’s cleared this week, there’s going to be an acclimation, and the train is rolling fast now toward Week 1. There are 10 other guys in that huddle that have to get ready for [the Pittsburgh Steelers] in Week 1, and soon we’ll be at the point where a team must be fair to them … If we’re not already there."

Atlanta opens the regular season with a matchup in Pittsburgh on Sept. 13. Last week, Penix said that he "can do just about anything but take a hit." That's all well and good, but there was no indication as of Monday morning that he would be able to play in the Falcons' preseason matchup against the Indianapolis Colts this coming Saturday. 

History shows that Stefanski may want to name his Week 1 starter before the Falcons wrap the preseason up with a game at the Miami Dolphins, Tagovailoa's former team, on Aug. 28. At this point, it's fair to wonder if Penix will be able to play against Miami regardless of the state of what has really been a quarterback competition in name only from springtime workouts through the midway point of August.

Falcons "know what they’ve got in" Tua Tagovailoa

"They know what they’ve got in Tagovailoa," Breer added about the Falcons, "who has shown he can be the accurate, efficient quarterback that he was at his best in Miami under (former Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel. In the short term, the idea of just building for that isn’t a bad one. ...All this isn’t ideal, of course. But it’s a long season, and there should be a chance to serve both the short-term interest of the team (with Tagovailoa) while getting the long-term assessment they need (on Penix). It’ll just be a little tricky to pull off." 

For now, it sounds like Tagovailoa will be the Falcons' QB1 for their game at Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium next month.