‘It’s God-Given’: Falcons Coach Delivers Eye-Opening Take on Tua Tagovailoa

FLOWERY BRANCH – As the Atlanta Falcons prepare for a position battle this summer, Kevin Stefanski had some high praise for his new quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, ahead of Wednesday’s organized team activities (OTAs).

The Falcons' head coach said that the veteran has an “innate God-given ability” to be an accurate passer, something Stefanski went on to say is one of the most important qualities a quarterback can possess.

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

No single trait will determine this quarterback battle, but Tagovailoa, whose career completion percentage sits right at 68%, has been one of the NFL’s most consistently accurate passers. He led the league in completion percentage in 2024 (72.9%) and had the sixth-highest EPA/dropback on tight window throws among players who attempted 10% or more that season.

That rhythm and accuracy have become a calling card for Tagovailoa, who says he learned how to build those habits from his father. His dad preached repetition and making sure he was connecting with his receivers in specific areas.

“If I don't throw it this way to a certain part of the receiver, I just got to do it again and again,” he explained. “It was the repetition aspect of that, but it's just something that I've been blessed with through hard work and by the help of my dad.”

Those numbers faltered last season in Miami, with seven games falling below his career completion average. Tagovailoa also struggled with turnovers, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions (with four games of two or more) over just 14 starts.

All that together led to his eventual benching and, later, his release. But he still showed the flashes of a player who, at times, could reclaim that consistency. In Atlanta, the Falcons are expecting him to rediscover it.

Fortunately for the veteran, he will have some much larger targets to take advantage of than what he had in Miami. The Dolphins’ leading pass catchers were all under 6-foot, while with the Falcons, Tagovailoa will feature elite size with Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.

That ‘jump ball’ element is something the quarterback, who has already shown elite accuracy, has rarely been able to utilize. Tagovailoa has already started taking advantage of that with throws like this on Wednesday.

.@DrakeLondon_ is like that 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/lCFmhhOBr5
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 27, 2026

Tagovailoa is starting to settle into his new world in Atlanta. The new Falcons quarterback still has a long way to go before any starting decisions come to fruition, but he is starting to find his rhythm again.

The God-given ability, meanwhile, never seemed to have left. If accuracy truly is the defining trait that Stefanski is looking for in his quarterback, Tagovailoa will enter the summer with that clear advantage.

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