Will Tua Tagovailoa Play In Preseason Opener? Potential Falcons QB1 Weighs In

Tua Tagovailoa is days away from his first opportunity to showcase himself with the keys to the Atlanta Falcons offense.

However, it remains unclear if the quarterback will play in Friday, Aug. 14’s preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Whatever is asked of me, whatever’s asked of the guys,” Tagovailoa told reporters after practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11. “I think that’s what we’re going to go with, whatever Stefanski has.”

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has said in training camp that he plans to play starters in the first preseason game against the Bills and the finale against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 28. Starters will likely rest during game two at the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 22, with most of their reps coming in the joint practices.

Stefanski may have an answer on Wednesday, Aug. 12, on whether Tagovailoa plays in Friday’s preseason game.

“I’ll let you guys know I think, Wednesday when we talk what the plan is for the preseason games,” the head coach said. “I want to obviously sit down with the coaches and Ian and Matt, and talk through the plan, and finalize that, share it with the players, and then I’ll share it with you guys.”

Preseason could be key for Tagovailoa getting ahead in his ongoing quarterback battle with Michael Penix Jr. The former Miami Dolphin and seventh-year NFL veteran has picked up the majority of the 11-on-11 reps. Conversely, Penix takes most of the 7-on-7 plays due to not being cleared for 11-on-11 while he recovers from a left ACL tear.

There’s currently no timetable for Atlanta to name a starting quarterback.

“Preseason plays a big role for your team collectively,” Tagovailoa said. “You don’t have the coaches out there. You’ve got to go out there, make the calls, whether it’s right or wrong, you’ve got to live with them. And from there, you come in the next day, watch film, talk about it, and go from there.”

Tagovailoa has been impressive in the days leading up to the NFL preseason, following a back tightness flare-up that forced him to miss the first day of training camp.

His field vision and ability to exploit defensive breakdowns have turned heads.

“He’s getting better every day,” said Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. “I think he’s getting more comfortable with the system, the play calls, and the protection adjustments. It’s tough always coming into a new system. So, picking that up, missing the first part of camp, set him back just a little bit. But the last three or four days, he’s really come on.”

The Falcons-Broncos preseason opener kicks off in Atlanta at 7 p.m. It will be televised locally on Fox 5 Atlanta, the ESPN app with an unlimited plan, or NFL+.

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