Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa
Getty
Tua Tagovailoa may have the early leg up on Michael Penix Jr. in the Falcons' quarterback competition
The quarterback battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa ahead of the 2026 Falcons season has continued to ensue with training camp just on the horizon.
While many have expressed that Tagovailoa seems to have the upper hand in terms of his progression and fit in the offense, some still believe Penix could ultimately come out of the situation with the upper hand.
Only time will tell if the position battle is lower than we may actually think.
NFL Analyst Makes Harsh Comments About Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.
Penix is the underdog at this point without a doubt, and NFL analyst Sean Salisbury clearly sees him that way based on the way he spoke about the signal-caller in some of his latest comments.
In fact, Salisbury doesn’t appear to have confidence in the overall outlook for both quarterbacks in the coming year.
“I could tell you this, there’s no way either one of them, considering their history of injury, is finishing a season,” Salisbury said. “This is an open competition in my mind. There’s nothing yet that Michael Penix has told me that he’s a solidified, guaranteed starting quarterback.”
Salisbury does make a strong point here. Even though Tagovailoa may seem like to most logical and reliable option, he is not without his own past injury issues, even though Penix’s are largely regarded as more alarming. After all, his season-ending ACL tear in 2025, which saw veteran Kirk Cousins regain some of his old momentum, is still fresh in the minds of Falcons fans.
The Injury History Of Both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa Raises Fresh Reason For Concern
Tagovailoa had one of the most concerning concussions in recent NFL history when he went down during the 2022 season, when he was carted off the field during the Dolphins’ contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Those on the field and those who looked on from afar held their breath as Tagovailoa showed a worrisome “fencing response”, in which his arms seized outward. A lot of people called for Tagovailoa to stop playing football at that point after the horrific and disturbing nature of the injury, and there was an uproar surrounding overall player protection.
Tagovailoa took yet another major shot to the head against the Buffalo Bills in 2024, in which he exhibited a lot of the same bodily response that he did in that game against the Bengals. Tagovailoa, who had also had an extensive injury history in college, has suffered a total of four concussions between 2022 and 2024.
It’s easy to see why this could raise some uneasiness about the long-term NFL future of the Alabama product, who has played just one full season in his professional career.
But Penix’s injury sheet is arguably worse than Tagovailoa. Like the former Dolphins quarterback, Penix was oft-injured throughout something of a journeyman college career. He’s suffered three ACL tears in his career, in addition to multiple upper and lower-body injuries ranging from major to minor at both levels of football.
It will be interesting to see which of the two proves more durable for the long haul, and if either of them can prove to be the Falcons’ true franchise quarterback.