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The biggest question to answer for the Atlanta Falcons between now and Week 1 is who will be starting at quarterback. At the moment it's really anybody's guess whether it'll be Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa.
Atlanta's top two options have a lot in common, including both being left-handed and having an extensive history of injuries - ACL tears for Penix and concussions for Tagovailoa. They also both have demonstrated a very high ceiling of play at different times in their career, but heading into 2026 both need to prove themselves at this level.
So, who will it come down to? According to former Falcons MVP and current President of Football Matt Ryan, the team really doesn't know what to expect. Here's what he said about the competition, per Nick Shook at NFL.com.
"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. 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 about... I think the way both those guys have started the offseason, I think, will put us in a good spot."
Penix is probably the organization's preferred option to be their long-term starter given that they used a top-10 overall pick on him just a couple of years ago. By contrast, Tagovailoa didn't cost the Falcons any draft capital and is under contract for just one year at the veteran minimum.
Once Penix is fully healthy again the x-factor in this battle will likely be which one is able to pick up Kevin Stefanski's offense quicker. On paper Tagovailoa likely has the advantage there, as he's run a similar system before in Miami, which is pretty radically different than what Penix was running at Washington when he was at his best. Tua also has the edge when it comes to quick-passing accuracy, which will be a key element.
For now we should probably lean towards Tagovailoa starting Week 1, but that's far from a guarantee, and there's a decent chance he could end up losing the job to Penix once he's 100% up to speed. Who knows? Only time.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons exec Matt Ryan on battle between Michael Penix, Tua Tagovailoa
Continue reading...
Atlanta's top two options have a lot in common, including both being left-handed and having an extensive history of injuries - ACL tears for Penix and concussions for Tagovailoa. They also both have demonstrated a very high ceiling of play at different times in their career, but heading into 2026 both need to prove themselves at this level.
So, who will it come down to? According to former Falcons MVP and current President of Football Matt Ryan, the team really doesn't know what to expect. Here's what he said about the competition, per Nick Shook at NFL.com.
"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. 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 about... I think the way both those guys have started the offseason, I think, will put us in a good spot."
Penix is probably the organization's preferred option to be their long-term starter given that they used a top-10 overall pick on him just a couple of years ago. By contrast, Tagovailoa didn't cost the Falcons any draft capital and is under contract for just one year at the veteran minimum.
Once Penix is fully healthy again the x-factor in this battle will likely be which one is able to pick up Kevin Stefanski's offense quicker. On paper Tagovailoa likely has the advantage there, as he's run a similar system before in Miami, which is pretty radically different than what Penix was running at Washington when he was at his best. Tua also has the edge when it comes to quick-passing accuracy, which will be a key element.
For now we should probably lean towards Tagovailoa starting Week 1, but that's far from a guarantee, and there's a decent chance he could end up losing the job to Penix once he's 100% up to speed. Who knows? Only time.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons exec Matt Ryan on battle between Michael Penix, Tua Tagovailoa
Continue reading...
