Atlanta Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa could be a good fit.
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Atlanta Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa could be a good fit.
For the Miami Dolphins, the Tua Tagovailoa era is now officially over and there is nothing left but the disappointing memories and the $99.2 million dead cap hit. The good news for the Dolphins is that the near-$100 million in wasted cap space will be spread out over two years.
Hooray?
Tua is now off to the Atlanta Falcons, where he’ll maybe sort of compete with incumbent Michael Penix, Jr. for the starting quarterback job. Penix is coming off of an injury and no one in Atlanta was overly enthralled with his performance when he did play.
So, why would the Falcons bring in yet another veteran quarterback (ahem, Kirk Cousins) to muddy things with Penix? Well, the easy answer would be that new head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham didn’t draft Penix. You can bet just about anything that he was discussed when Stefanski accepted the job.
And because of that new regime and a dearth of legitimate options, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks that Tua is a free agency “winner” at this point in the process.
The Atlanta Falcons were Tua Tagovailoa’s best option
There weren’t many places for Tua to go, plain and simple. I guess he could have gone to the Arizona Cardinals, who are giving Kyler Murray the Tua treatment currently. Going to the Cardinals for any reason is rarely a good idea. And, the door always seems to be open at the Cleveland Browns‘ facility, but why on Earth would anyone willingly do that? That’s where careers go to die.
But, in Atlanta? Barnewll thinks that could be a great fit.
“In Atlanta, Tagovailoa will get to play in a dome,” Barnwell writes. “He’ll have the inside track to the starting job because of Michael Penix Jr.’s torn ACL. The Falcons had an excellent Bijan Robinson-led running game in 2025, and they were already built to accommodate a left-handed quarterback.
“New coach Kevin Stefanski also leaned heavily into a left-sided boot action game despite fielding right-handed quarterbacks during his time in Cleveland, which should be an easy fit for Tagovailoa.”
Tua Tagovailoa could be a great fit for the Atlanta Falcons
Penix underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in November, which would land him in the “iffy” category to be fully ready for Week 1. According to reports, he’s “on track” in his recovery, whatever that means.
Tua is added insurance in case A. Penix isn’t healthy, and/or B. Isn’t that good anyway.
“We’ll see how Stefanski’s system fits what Tagovailoa wants to do as a passer,” Barnwell writes. “At its best, Stefanski’s offense in Cleveland was an under-center, play-action-heavy attack, with the quarterback turning his back to the defense before hitting shots for chunk plays. Tagovailoa was in an entirely different offense with the Dolphins, with about 89% of his dropbacks over the past four years coming out of the pistol or shotgun. He was asked to make quick, accurate passes and create YAC opportunities for his receivers, and at his best, he was able to put plenty of points up on the scoreboard.”
Sounds like a recipe for success? Barnwell wonders if/how Stefanski might tailor his offense to fit Tua’s skills or lack thereof.
“Will the Falcons’ offense meet somewhere in the middle? We’ll have to see, but Tagovailoa’s clearest path to playing with solid help around him was in Atlanta,” he writes. “That’s a victory on a day that otherwise felt ominous for the 28-year-old quarterback.”
For the record, I want credit for writing an article about Tua in which I never once used the word “concussion.”