Reason for Falcons Keeping 4 QBs Becomes Crystal Clear as Tagovailoa Named Starter

The order goes Tua Tagovailoa as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback, Cooper Rush as the backup, and Jack Strand as the third string.

Notice no Michael Penix Jr. in the quarterback lineup for Week 1 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers after months of battling Tagovailoa for the starter job.

On Monday, Sept. 7, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that despite Penix being medically cleared in August for 11-on-11 practice activity from a partially torn left ACL, he will be inactive for the opener this Sunday, Sept. 13.

Stefanski provided no timeline for when Penix will reactivate, but added that the quarterback will continue to be full go in practice.

Stefanski is “very confident in the plan” for Penix’s return to the field.

“Myself, Mike, all the coaches, medical – we’re all on the same page with this,” the first-year Falcons head coach said. “Feel really good about where he is at this point, and we’ll continue to work with him to get better each day.”

Penix entered the 2025 season as Atlanta’s starter, but his campaign abruptly ended after nine games when he took a hit and landed awkwardly against the Carolina Panthers last November. It was the 2024 eighth overall NFL Draft pick’s third ACL injury, dating back to college, but first to his left knee.

He finished the year completing 60% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns against three interceptions.

In response to Penix’s injury and the lengthy nature of ACL tears, Atlanta signed recently released Miami Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa to a one-year veteran minimum deal worth $1.2 million in March.

The two battled through OTAs and training camp as Penix took the majority of the 7-on-7 reps while Tagovailoa got the 11-on-11 snaps.

Tagovailoa played in two of the three NFL preseason games, leaving much to be desired.

Meanwhile, the freshly cleared Penix didn’t appear on the field for the Falcons.

Stefansk hasn’t thought about whether Penix will be the backup and won’t “speculate” beyond Atlanta’s Week 1 quarterback situation. However, it's crystal clear why the Falcons kept four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster, with Penix being unavailable for Week 1.

“He’s doing everything in his power to get ready,” Stefanski said of Penix. “That’s all the work you put in the training room, the weight room, the work in the meeting room, out in the grass. He’s doing everything he needs to do.”

The Falcons face the Steelers this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game will be televised on FOX 5.

Atlanta searches for its first win over Pittsburgh since 2006.

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