It is not every day that a veteran quarterback is brought in to compete with an injured guy on a rookie contract. However, that is the predicament that the Atlanta Falcons are currently in.
While the distinction of the Michael Penix injury adds a different context to things, this quarterback competition feels incredibly similar to the Minnesota Vikings duel going on. An extended veteran got released in the offseason from a team that is trying to rebuild; a team that fancies itself as a quarterback away from contention picks up said established quarterback to compete with a struggling first-round signal-caller from the 2024 class, and the veteran takes a ton of starting reps in the spring session.
It feels like deja vu from the Vikings prediction, but with Tua Tagovailoa instead of Kyler Murray. Will the incumbent Penix fend off Tagovailoa, or will the veteran earn another starting job in the NFL? There is no better time to predict than right now.
Predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback battle
For starters, one needs to take a look at what the Falcons have done this offseason. Technically, it started at the very end of the 2025 campaign, when the team relieved head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot of their respective duties.
Why is this important? It needs mentioning because the new regime in Atlanta has zero ties to Michael Penix, as the old one was the group that drafted him early in the first round in 2024, after signing veteran Kirk Cousins, who is also off the team, earlier in that offseason. Therefore, there is no loyalty for the current regime toward Penix.
With that in mind, the younger quarterback is recovering from a knee injury. While Penix is expected to be a full-go once training camp comes around in a couple of weeks, he might have already lost the starting job in Atlanta for the 2026 season.
While he has been recovering, the team signed Tua Tagovailoa shortly after he was released by the Miami Dolphins. The veteran quarterback has been running the starting offense, while Penix has been out. Although the pass catchers are largely the same, Tagovailoa having so much more time with the starters this offseason would have most believing that he would be the starting quarterback in Atlanta this season.
While anything can happen, especially with a quarterback room as injury-riddled as this one has been over the years, it feels like this is the veteran’s job to lose heading into training camp. However, this is not an indictment on Penix. It is the unfortunate nature of the business of football.
At some point, Penix will have another opportunity. It could even come this season. However, Tagovailoa, with the reps he has already received during the spring, will be the prediction for the Week 1 starting gig.
Add us as a preferred source on Google