Falcons give major update on Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa QB1 battle for season opener

The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback room has been an interesting one to watch throughout the summer and preseason. Third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is coming off an ACL injury, while Tua Tagovailoa is trying to get back to the form he showed earlier in his career.

Penix has been very limited this summer, while Tagovailoa has continued to show red flags rather than seize control of the starting job.

“And while the performance was an improvement over his brutal debut in the first week of the preseason, it still wasn't his best body of work. Tagovailoa badly needed a big performance to prove to this coaching staff that he's worthy of being the starter over Michael Penix Jr., which didn't happen. Instead of taking a step in the right direction as a starting QB decision looms, the 28-year-old's return to Hard Rock Stadium rehashed some old issues and confirmed the Tua Tagovailoa we saw in Miami is nothing but a distant memory--especially since he can't seem to shake some ongoing red flags,” Blogging Dirty’s Jason Kandel wrote.

Just a couple of weeks ago, many speculated that Penix had given the starting job away after making comments on Cam Newton’s podcast.

“A lot of it is mental. Physically, I got a good ACL. The doctors did what they needed to do. I can go out there and do anything. But mentally, you hesitate, and it’s like do I trust it,” Penix said.

That is not necessarily what a quarterback wants to hear coming off a significant injury. However, Tagovailoa has kept the competition open. ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently provided an update on which quarterback currently has the advantage.

“The Falcons wanna take a look this week at Michael Penix and see how he responds,” Schefter said.

This certainly seems to indicate that the Falcons want to see Penix take another step toward becoming the starting quarterback. There would be little reason for Atlanta to make sure the Washington standout is ready to go if the organization did not view him as a serious option to be under center.

Tagovailoa has had opportunities to take control of the job, but he has not done enough to separate himself from Penix. The former Dolphins quarterback will continue to hope for the chance to start, but right now, it appears Penix has the inside track heading into the season opener.

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