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Tua Tagovailoa may have the early leg up on Michael Penix Jr. in the Falcons' quarterback competition

After the Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal, Michael Penix Jr. has said little to the media about his new teammate.

After all, he is competing with him for the starting quarterback position. Honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have much to say.

If we look at the facts, the Atlanta Falcons possibly brought Tagovailoa on board in case Penix was not ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

“Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is expected to be available for full-team drills once training camp opens next month. That will truly begin the competition between Penix and Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta’s QB1 to open the 2026 season under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.” Myles Simmons wrote in an NBC Sports article.

Penix’s Relationship With Tua: ‘Nothing, but Good’

According to the article, Michael Penix Jr. told reporters Tuesday that his relationship with Tua Tagovailoa has been good.

“It’s been good. It’s been nothing but good since he got here,” Penix said in the article. “We know we’re in competition, but at the same time, we are on the same team. We have the same goals, and that’s to see this team win football games and help do that in our way.

“Man, we’ve been good together, and it’s always going to be like that.”

Hopefully, the Atlanta Falcons can be in the mix for the playoffs after missing the playoffs for nearly 10 years. It all starts with the quarterback position. Kevin Stefanski made it clear that Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa will split reps during the offseason.

“I think it’s our job, I think [offensive coordinator] Tommy Rees does an outstanding job of making sure that we’re intentional about how we want this to operate,” Stefanski said. “One guy will be up first one period and then switch with the next period and rotate every single day in really almost every drill—because the truth is we’re trying to get the best version of all of our players, so we want to mix and match guys in different spots.”

Michael Penix Jr. Expected to Be Back Week 1

As Michael Penix Jr. continues to recover from his ACL injury, Tagovailoa will get quality first-team reps. Penix stated he aims to return Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

Despite Penix wanting a Week 1 return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he has not been cleared to practice fully. Meanwhile, Penix says he’s “right where he needs to be”.

“Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. has not been cleared yet to resume practice due to last season’s knee injury but he told reporters, “(I’m) Right where I need to be.” Schefter wrote on his official X account.

Penix’s injury may come back to bite him in the worst way. The longer he stays sidelined, the more Tagovailoa gains Kevin Stefanski’s trust as the first team’s quarterback.

Despite having a good relationship on and off the field, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will have a lot riding on this upcoming training camp due to the fact that both quarterbacks are looking to prove they are starting caliber quarterbacks in the NFL, but who will get the starting nod?