After signing former Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa to a free agent contract this week, the Atlanta Falcons will have him compete with incumbent starter Michael Penix Jr. throughout the offseason for the right to take the first snaps under center, with general manager Ian Cunningham stating that the team won’t name a starter at the moment.
“We’re not in the business of really handing out starting positions in February, and in March, the same,” Cunningham said. “For Tua, coming in here, he knows he’s coming in to compete, just like Michael knows that he’s coming in to compete.”
Tagovailoa is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, one in which he was benched down the stretch by the Miami Dolphins in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Penix, meanwhile, is coming off an up-and-down season during which he also suffered a partially torn ACL and missed the final month-and-a-half of the season.
With the competition ahead, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at what each quarterback brings to the table, in both a positive and negative sense. Because while both quarterbacks are left-handed passers, they could arguably not be more different.
Tagovailoa’s strength is his accuracy. He has completed 68% of his career passes, and in 2024 he led the NFL with a 72.9% completion rate. What he lacks is arm strength, as he’s long been unable to push the ball down the field and instead relied on the Dolphins’ scheme and skill-position players to create a significant share of their yards after the catch.
Should Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. start for Falcons? Proven model says Atlanta better with Tua
Matt Severance
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