Tua Tagovailoa has not yet taken a regular-season snap for the Atlanta Falcons, but a report already suggests his time as the team’s starting quarterback could be short if things go poorly.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio said Wednesday that Atlanta may follow the same approach Miami used last offseason if the veteran is benched again.
“If it doesn’t go well for Tua and he gets benched again, I’m told there is a strong possibility the Falcons will do what the Dolphins did and cut Tua Tagovailoa,” Florio said.
The comment landed four days before Tagovailoa is scheduled to start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team he faced in his final start with Miami last December.
The Falcons named Tagovailoa the Week 1 starter Monday after a drawn-out competition with Michael Penix Jr., whose recovery from a torn ACL limited him through most of camp.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a starter beyond the opener.
“I’m going to really stay in Week 1 right now and Pittsburgh and not speculate past that,” Stefanski said. “I don’t think it’s fair to anyone at this point. But I feel good about where everybody is.”
Cooper Rush will serve as the backup Sunday. Penix will be inactive.
Tagovailoa described the opportunity in upbeat terms after practice this week.
“It’s very refreshing. It’s a blessing. That’s the best way I can describe the position I’m in,” he said.
He also made clear where his focus sits.
“I don’t think for myself and what I believe I don’t have anything to prove to anyone outside. It’s to prove to my own self that I can continue to play at a high level.”
The 28-year-old signed a one-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March after the Dolphins released him and absorbed a record $99.2 million dead-cap charge.
Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 14 games last season before Miami sat him for the final three weeks. That marked a drop from 2023, when he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and earned Pro Bowl honors, and from 2024, when he completed a league-best 72.9% of his throws.
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, remains the longer-term question. He was listed as a full participant on Wednesday’s injury report and said Monday he is “really close” to being fully healthy.
“That’s not fair for this team. That’s not fair for this organization. I want to make sure whenever I am out there, I’m 100%. There’s no doubt in my mind that I trust my knee,” Penix said.
Bleacher Report’s James Palmer said internal opinions on Tagovailoa’s camp work were mixed.
“There are definitely people that have said he’s done enough for Week 1,” Palmer said. “It’s not been as bad as some of the reports that have been out there.”
Palmer added that coaches initially asked Tagovailoa to try concepts he had not used much in Miami before shifting the offense toward his strengths.
“Because there’s also people there that do believe he should have taken the bull by the horns,” Palmer said. “He should have really taken ownership with this job and ran with it. And they didn’t see that happen during training camp.”
Tagovailoa will be Atlanta’s sixth different Week 1 starting quarterback in six seasons when the Falcons visit Acrisure Stadium. The trip carries extra meaning: Pittsburgh is where his last Miami start ended.
Whether that start becomes the first of many with the Atlanta Falcons, or a brief stop, now sits at the center of the conversation around a team still searching for stability at the position.
