As recently as Tuesday, it was assumed that first-year Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski would play both 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. and free-agent signing Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta’s preseason finale at the Miami Dolphins as the final act of the competition for the Falcons’ starting quarterback job.
However, Stefanski confirmed on Wednesday that Penix won’t play at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Tagovailoa will start against his former team, followed by Cooper Rush and then rookie Jack Strand.
Why Michael Penix Jr. won’t play against the Dolphins
Penix participated in full-team work for the first time during training camp this past Monday amid his recovery from surgery he to repair
a partially torn ACL.
“[Penix] just got back to team drills on Monday,” Stefanski said about not playing the signal-caller against the Dolphins, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “So just felt [we wanted] to keep the focus on these three days and see how he came out of it. I think he did well.”
Wednesday’s developments mean Penix will not face an opposing defense in a game setting this summer before Atlanta’s regular-season opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13. One would think that means Tagovailoa will get the start against Pittsburgh, but Stefanski declined to say that’s the case.
“I’m not going to get into Week 1,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, I’m best served, and we’re best served, by keeping it day-to-day and focusing on what’s in front of us. Really, this was an important week for Mike — first time out there with people around you, the offensive line, the defensive line. I think going through a drill where you’ve got to move up in the pocket, or get chased out of the pocket, whatever it is. So I thought [it was] a really good first step for Mike in that regard. But outside of this week, I don’t think it’s fair to go farther than that.”
Kevin Stefanski responds to struggles of Tua Tagovailoa
With Penix unavailable, Tagovailoa completed just 3-of-5 passes for 22 yards and a fumble that he recovered in the Falcons’ preseason opener against the Denver Broncos
on Aug. 14. After Tagovailoa reportedly endured “a woeful day” during a joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts, he did not play against the Colts on Aug. 22.
“I think [he’s been] doing a good job,” Stefanski said about Tagovailoa. “And that’s something — all of our players are really, on offense, playing in a new system. And getting all these reps and getting the walk-through reps and making sure we’re all on point, if you will. There’s something to be said in football where you make a mistake, and our job as coaches is to identify and correct. So, when something is wrong on the football field, we hustle in here, we watch the tape, and we get it fixed. There’s things from those plays in the Denver game that we learned from, we corrected. So I think all of our players, Tua included, take all that coaching to heart and try to be one day better after it.”
Stefanski added that he will reveal his QB1 decision “when appropriate.” It sounds like Tagovailoa could either win or lose the job on Friday night.
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