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The Atlanta Falcons needed to add more competition for third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and did so by signing veteran Tua Tagovailoa in free agency.
Drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Penix Jr. hasn't cemented himself as the long-term answer under center and will have to compete for the starting spot with Tagovailoa, who is looking to revive his own career after striking out with the Miami Dolphins.
"I think our plan was to always bring in competition across our roster," head coach Kevin Stefanski said of the quarterback competition, according to Tori McElhaney of Atlanta Falcons.com. "It's something Ian believes in, I believe in, Matt believes in. That only makes all of us better at every position."
One wild card in this competition is the health of Penix, who suffered a partially torn ACL in November. However, the expectation is the Washington product is going to be good to go by training camp, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe said.
That timeline gives Tua an opportunity to run the offense during the offseason program, but the competition should be in full swing by late July.
Falcons rumor is bad news for Tagovailoa
According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, the Falcons are keen on getting another look at Penix as a starter in 2026, which could give him an early upper hand in the competition against his veteran counterpart.
"My sense of things in Atlanta is that the Falcons still would like to get another look at Michael Penix Jr. once he has recovered from last year's knee injury, but that Tagovailoa has an opportunity in the meantime to show a new coaching staff and a new front office that he can be the team's answer at quarterback in 2026 and beyond," Graziano reported.
The ideal scenario for Atlanta is Penix coming out on top in this competition.
After all, Penix is three years younger than Tagovailoa and offers more upside because of his physical traits that include a stronger arm.
And there's good reason to believe a respected offensive mind like Stefanski can get more out of Penix, who has played under less-than-ideal play-calling situations over his two years in the NFL.
We also haven't seen much out of Tagovailoa over the past two campaigns and if he continues playing the way he did for the Dolphins in that span, this is going to be Penix's competition to lose.
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