Tua Tagovailoa Sees Something ‘Dangerous’ in Falcons’ New Offense

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons do not know who their starting quarterback will be, but they believe whoever wins the job will have everything needed to succeed.

This franchise will enter the 2026 league year with renewed expectations on offense and optimism that this will finally be the cycle in which they identify their next quarterback. Since trading Matt Ryan, the Falcons have trotted out a different quarterback in Week 1 every season since 2021. This dreadful cycle has been a catalyst for their postseason drought, which has now stretched to a franchise-tying eight straight seasons.

This summer, the Falcons will host their first quarterback battle since 2008. The newly signed Tua Tagovailoa and incumbent Michael Penix Jr. will duke it out at Flowery Branch to see who takes the job.

Whoever wins the job will have a two-time Coach of the Year in Kevin Stefanski, an upstart defense, and a reinforced group of weapons. Tagovailoa said the supporting cast was a major reason for his decision to come to Atlanta in the first place.

“The defense, I think, is solid,” the former Dolphins quarterback said via a Zoom interview on Tuesday. “[On offense,] you’ve got a good line, you’ve got Kyle Pitts, you’ve got Bijan Robinson, you’ve got Drake London… I’m excited to be able to use those weapons in OTAs and be able to work with these guys.”

Tagovailoa has already been able to spend some time connecting with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and Stefanski about the offense. The unit will return London, Pitts, and Robinson, but has added running back Brian Robinson Jr., plus wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus, and tight end Austin Hooper. They will feature veteran experience and bona fide production that would rank among the best in the NFL.

Despite some inconsistencies under center, this unit finished No. 14 in the NFL in total offense (333.0 total yards) and No. 24 in scoring offense (20.8 points per game). With this new-look unit, the Falcons will look to take their scoring punch to the next level.

“I think the biggest thing you see with the group of guys that we have is you’ve got YAC (yards after catch) in Kyle Pitts, you can throw it anywhere in the vicinity of Drake and he’s going to catch it, and you’ve got a back like Bijan,” Tagovailoa said, comparing his new running back to his former teammate Da’Von Achane. “Then you’ve got the play-action game to work off of that and get these guys the ball.

“All in all, I think it can be really dangerous.”

The Falcons have the weapons, but the inevitable decision at the quarterback position will ultimately define whether this offense takes the next step.

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