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Michael Penix Injury: Could lose job to Tua

Written by RotoWire Staff

Updated on March 11, 2026 at 10:32am

Penix (knee) won't necessarily be Atlanta's starting quarterback once he's healthy, as new addition Tua Tagovailoa will get a real chance to earn the job, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

It looks like a good situation for Tagovailoa to rehabilitate his value while Penix rehabs from the third ACL tear of his football career. Both QBs are left-handed, theoretically making things easier for new head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to manage their passing game. The Falcons are also signing WRs Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to replace Darnell Mooney, giving the quarterbacks more options behind the ball-dominant trio of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but it'll be a while before Penix throws passes to his new teammates. Tagovailoa figures to handle first-team reps through the offseason program and into training camp, at the very least. Beyond that, a lot will depend on health, with both lefties sporting poor track records for availability.

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