How Falcons reportedly view Michael Penix Jr. after signing Tua Tagovailoa

As had been expected for some time, the Atlanta Falcons were finally able to confirm on Friday that they had signed former Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a team-friendly one-year contract. 

Before Tagovailoa officially inked his agreement, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham hinted that Tagovailoa and 2025 Week 1 QB1 Michael Penix Jr. will compete for the starting job once Penix is cleared to make a full return to football-related activities. For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN made it seem that the Falcons already have a plan for their depth chart in mind. 

Falcons reportedly want this quarterback to start later this fall 

"My sense is the Falcons view Penix as the starter once he's healthy and Tagovailoa is just there for coverage in case he isn't ready," Graziano explained. 

A 2024 first-round draft pick, Penix spent the bulk of his rookie season serving as Kirk Cousins' primary backup. In total, Penix went 4-8 across 12 regular-season starts before he needed surgery this past fall to repair a partially torn ACL. As Graziano mentioned, it's too early to say with any certainty when Penix will be cleared to face live defenses in meaningful contests. 

Why Falcons may not view Tua Tagovailoa as an upgrade over Michael Penix Jr.

Some understandably have assumed that new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski could view Tagovailoa as an upgrade over Penix. That said, it's been suggested that Tagovailoa will prove to be a poor fit for the offense preferred by Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. 

According to Graziano, it sounds like the Falcons see Tagovailoa more as a backup than as a possible reclamation-project player at the sport's most important position. 

"Tagovailoa got benched with three games left in the season for performance reasons, and the Dolphins just cut him with $54M in guaranteed money left on his contract," Graziano noted. 

Graziano added that fans shouldn't "assume" that Tagovailoa is now in Atlanta to take Penix's full-time job. Of course, the situation could change if Penix begins the 2026 regular season as an injured spectator and Tagovailoa plays well while in the Atlanta lineup.