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Former Falcons' head coach Mike Smith isn't worried about Michael Penix Jr.'s struggles in 2025

Now that the NFL Draft is over and free agency is pretty much over, the Atlanta Falcons have a better sense of what their 2026 roster will look like, and who will play where on the gridiron. To kick off this Atlanta Falcons roster breakdown series, what better position to start with than quarterback, which is perhaps the most fluid and important group for the Falcons in 2026.

After the Falcons released Kirk Cousins, Atlanta went ahead and signed former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal to pair with Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons now have a quarterback room with two lefties, but Penix Jr., who is recovering from another torn ACL, isn’t expected to open up the season fully healthy, which likely leads to Tagovailoa being the starting QB for the Falcons in week one.

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Tua Tagovailoa as an NFL Starter

GettyTua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter in the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

NFL.com wrote (about Tua Tagovailoa’s contract status):

“Tua Tagovailoa is currently on a one-year minimum contract with the Atlanta Falcons, after being released by the Miami Dolphins in March 2026. Because of the historic guarantees on his previous deal, the Dolphins are paying his full \(\$54\) million salary for 2026, while Atlanta is only paying the league minimum.”

Tua has played six seasons in the NFL and has a career completion percentage of 68.0. He’s 44-32 as a starter, and has thrown 120 touchdowns to 59 interceptions in his career.

In 2026, Tua Tagovailoa started 14 games (6-8 record), and completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2660 yards, 20 touchdowns, but 15 interceptions. The turnovers are what caused Tua to lose his job, and now the Falcons are taking a flyer on him with hopes he can turn back the clock to his  2022-2023 form, where Tua was a Pro Bowler and led the AFC in passing with 4624 yards (with the Dolphins in 2023).

If Tua figures to be the starting QB for the Atlanta Falcons in 2026, fans may be holding their breath for the first couple of weeks, OR the Falcons implement an offensive system around Tua to make things easier for him.

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Michael Penix Jr. as an NFL Starter

GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 16: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Michael Penix Jr. has way fewer NFL snaps on his resume than that of Tua Tagovailoa, but the main development surrounding Penix heading into the 2026 season is that he’s healthy and able to compete with Tua for the starting spot once he returns.

Penix Jr. has played 14 total games in his two-season NFL career so far, and he’s made 12 starts. His QB record is 4-12. He has 2757 total passing yards across those 14 games, and 12 total touchdown passes to go along with six interceptions.

He was the starter for Atlanta is 2025 to start the season, and Penix Jr. carried a record of 3-6 across nine starts. He completed 60 percent of his passes in 2025 and threw nine touchdowns to three interceptions.

Admittedly, there are a LOT of NFL teams in much better quarterback position than the Atlanta Falcons, but the Falcons have enough skill players around whoever is the signal caller (Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake Landon), which should alleviate some pressure off the man under center.

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