New NFL Rumors on Tua, Penix Jr.'s QB1 Battle After Falcons' Struggles as Penix Rehabs Injury

Despite a rough preseason debut for Tua Tagovailoa in a 27-7 loss against the Denver Broncos on Friday night, Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski isn't poised to make any rash decisions about who will be the starting quarterback when the regular season begins.

Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained Tagovailoa remains "well positioned" right now in part because Michael Penix Jr. is still working his way up to play 11-on-11 drills:

"Tua and the Falcons did not move the ball like they would have wanted but this is still playing out because Kevin Stefanski, the head coach, is not in a major rush here. He might wait even until later in the month to officially name a starter. Tua is still well positioned here because Michael Penix has not graduated to 11-man work on the practice field, he has not been cleared for contact yet. When he does, if he can get on the field for preseason action, perhaps things change, but right now, the Falcons simply do not know if he can even get on the field in the next few weeks. So, because of that, Tua is in a good place. He's typically very accurate. He's shown that over the last few months, the Falcons like that. So, he's going to probably get another chance. They get two more games, they're hoping for a better output from Tua and the Falcons."

Tagovailoa played Atlanta's first two offensive possessions on Friday. He finished 3-of-5 for 22 yards and fumbled his first shotgun snap of the game. The offense picked up one first down and didn't advance beyond their own 35-yard line.

This was an incredibly difficult matchup to start with since the Broncos, arguably the most talented team in the AFC with a loaded defense, played many of their starters on both sides of the ball.

The Falcons haven't been able to hold a proper quarterback competition in camp thus far because Penix is still limited in what he can do coming off ACL surgery last November.

Penix has taken part in seven-on-seven drills dating back to OTAs, but he is not yet cleared for 11-on-11 activities. The 26-year-old indicated earlier this week he is getting closer because he "can do just about anything but take a hit" right now.

Tagovailoa was signed as a free agent to give the Falcons an alternative if Penix is limited early in the season or suffers another injury when he does get on the field.

As a result of Penix's limited availability, Tagovailoa handling all of the important tasks throughout training camp thus far would seem to give him a strong leg up in Stefanski's offense.

The Falcons have an infrastructure that is set up for either Tagovailoa or Penix to succeed. Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts is a strong skill-position nucleus.

Things could come into clearer focus for the Falcons' quarterback situation by the end of next week. They will have joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 19-20 before their preseason matchup on Aug. 22.

If Tagovailoa bounces back with a solid performance against the Colts, the Falcons can feel better about his readiness to open the season as the starter.

If things look like they did against the Broncos, there will be a lot of attention paid to Penix's status and ability to get up to speed in Stefanski's offense before the regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13.