Falcons' Kevin Stefanski Talks Tua, Penix QB1 Battle, Injury Status amid OTAs

Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team plans on "intentionally" splitting reps between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. as they compete to be the starting quarterback this 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," he told reporters Tuesday.

"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."

One thing standing in the way of a true quarterback competition is Penix's health, though, as he is coming off his third ACL tear. The first two happened in college, but the most recent one limited him to nine games last season.

Stefanski said Penix is participating in some drills even though he is not doing full team work at the start of OTAs.

"Mike's been doing a very good job, like I've told you guys since the beginning," the coach said. "His main focus is getting healthy, and he's doing that. With that, he's able to do more and more football at the direction of our medical staff, so we've been working hand in hand with what that looks like. So, you'll see Mike out there in individual, you'll see him in the 7-on-7s. He is not doing team periods yet, but that time is coming."

For his part, Penix said his "goal" is to be ready for Week 1.

Neither quarterback is coming into the competition with much momentum.

Penix was 3-6 as a starter last season and is yet to live up to the expectations that were put in place when Atlanta selected him with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. Tagovailoa went 6-8 in 2025 as a member of the Miami Dolphins and threw a career-high 15 interceptions.

Tagovailoa has also dealt with injury concerns throughout his career, and it is Penix who is now not fully healthy.

Still, whichever quarterback wins the job will be in an ideal position to bounce back from last season and put up impressive numbers given the offensive talent in place.

Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts are all game-changing weapons, so the quarterback battle could come down to whoever simply gets the ball in their hands most efficiently.