The Atlanta Falcons are headed to their training camp with a loaded quarterback room. They have solidified their backup spots by adding Trevor Siemian and Jack Strand, but it is the starting spot where there are still a lot of questions. The two players battling it out for a spot are Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, a player who was added this offseason by the Falcons. While both are former first-round picks, the latter has seemingly better chances of starting in Week 1 since Penix is still recovering from a partially torn ACL injury. Despite the injury, ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck believes that Tua is a temporary solution until Penix’s return.

“I think this is more about knowing that Penix was not going to be full strength throughout the offseason, not really knowing his availability when the regular season starts, and making sure that you have somebody that can play at a starter level on the roster,” said Tim Hasselbeck on NFL Live, via NFL on ESPN on YouTube. “That’s why I think Tua is there. I think Tua is there to be a placeholder until Penix is ready. Now, if Penix doesn’t play well when he gets the opportunity, then sure, you can go back to Tua, and if you feel like he can play at a starter level.

“I think this is really about Penix not being fully healthy. I believe he is the starter when he’s healthy, and I think that’ll be the case until he plays his way into an otherwise situation. So, that’s how I think it plays out in Atlanta.”

Penix suffered an ACL injury against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, when the Falcons lost 30-27. Unfortunately, his second year in the NFL was shortened to nine games, as he had to leave the field with just 1,982 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns, while completing 60.1% of his passes.

An ACL injury takes longer recovery time, and the timeline sometimes even extends to a year. Having suffered the injury in November, he has done well to get back on the field, but head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that the 26-year-old would not be participating in 11-on-11 drills with the team during the minicamp.

“Kevin Stefanski says Michael Penix Jr. is not cleared yet for 11-on-11 work but that he’s ‘exactly where he needs to be’ in his rehab,” reported Falcons senior reporter Will McFadden.

On the other hand, Tua has been excellent in the OTAs. During the OTAs in late May, the 28-year-old quarterback impressed head coach Stefanski. Be it during 11-on-11 sessions or 7-on-7 sessions, he had pinpoint accuracy with his throws. His throws were hitting the receivers perfectly, which highlighted his elite status as a quarterback. Moreover, accuracy is something HC Stefanski really appreciates in his QB.

“I think [accuracy is] the most important trait at the position, as we’ve always talked about,” said Kevin Stefanski in May. “Some guys get better at it with tweaks to how they throw the ball, tweaks to their lower body, those type of things. But there is an innate ability of – and all of our guys have this, all of our quarterbacks have this – is to be able to let the ball go, and it’s going where you want it to go.”

Despite all the positives, Hasselbeck believes Tua will be the starter until Penix returns. However, the former does have a path to sealing his place as a starter.

Michael Penix Jr.’s drop in performance is Tua Tagovailoa’s key to being a starter

Although Tim Hasselbeck spoke about Tua Tagovailoa being a placeholder for Michael Penix Jr., he also said that the latter’s drop in form could see the former return to being QB1. In two years in the NFL, Penix has not played all 17 games in either of the seasons. In his rookie season, veteran Kirk Cousins played as QB1, so he was not pressured immediately. In the second season, it was the ACL injury.

Out of the 12 starts, he has only won four games and has completed less than 60% of his passes. While Penix is being favored as the starter, there is a lot of pressure on him. Moreover, the franchise has not been featured in a playoff game since 2017. So, a little drop in form could see him lose his position.

As for Tua, he joined the Falcons this offseason. The Falcons offered him a one-year contract worth $1.215 million after the Miami Dolphins released him. It left the Dolphins with $99 million in dead cap. His inconsistency was a major reason why the Dolphins let him go. But he has seemingly improved in the OTAs.

Despite his shortcomings, he ranks third among all quarterbacks in pass accuracy (68.6%) since 2021, and second among QBs who have played at least 50 games. In 2024, his 72.9% pass completion rate saw him lead the NFL. Next Gen Stats claims that the Pro Bowler is one of the top ten quarterbacks since 2021 when it comes to throwing the ball into tight windows. In that regard, he boasts a success rate of 33.6%.

So, if Tua can showcase these skills on the field, he could become the new QB1 in Atlanta. However, the summer training camp is still there. Although Hasselbeck claims it is not a “competition,” the upcoming training camp will be crucial for both quarterbacks. Their performance in late July could be the deciding factor in determining who starts for the Falcons.