In a battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons have yet to name their starting QB. But ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reports that they plan to have Tagovailoa be their starter for the initial preseason game on Friday.
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After being drafted by the Dolphins and spending six seasons there, Tagovailoa enters Year 7 with a new team. That new team still hasn’t announced whether he’ll open the season as its starter.
From 2022 to 2024, Tagovailoa continuously flirted with a top 12 fantasy ranking at the position, averaging 20.1 points per game (PPG) across that span. But he’s also coming off the worst fantasy-producing season of his career, with just 13.8 points per game.
Penix Jr outproduced him last year in his rookie season. But their underlying metrics showed no clear better QB.
Neither provides much rushing production. Tagovailoa hasn’t averaged at least 1.0 rushing points per game since his second year in the NFL, while Penix Jr. accounted for less than 10% of the Falcons’ rush attempts last season.
So whether it’s Tagovailoa looking to return to his previous production or Penix Jr. trying to build on his rookie year, it’s a toss-up which one will get the nod first.
