Falcons QB1 for Week 1 Predicted by Rapoport amid Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. Battle

As the Atlanta Falcons prepare to decide between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. for the team's starting quarterback position, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport predicted that Tagovailoa will win the job.

"I was in Atlanta yesterday and my general feel is that Tua will be the starter for Week 1," Rapoport said during a Wednesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (1:15 mark). "Penix has not been cleared, they're having a quarterback battle but that's kind of what it feels like to me."

Penix served as Atlanta's starter to open the 2025 season, appearing in nine games before suffering a torn ACL.

The Falcons eventually signed Tagovailoa to a one-year contract on March 9 after he was released by the Miami Dolphins.

Both passers are competing for the top spot on Atlanta's depth chart, although Penix hasn't been fully cleared for training camp yet while he continues to recover.

While Tagovailoa was also limited at the beginning of camp due to back issues, he returned to 11-on-11 drills on Monday.

Considering the 28-year-old's recent time spent with the rest of the Falcons' first-team offense as well as his six seasons of experience in Miami, he could win the positional battle.

Tagovailoa is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he completed 67.7 percent of his throws for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns, getting picked off 15 times.