Many people are putting their money on Tua Tagovailoa winning this quarterback competition in Atlanta.
Are we surprised? Probably not. His competition involves a journeyman quarterback and a player who’s coming off an ACL injury. Tua Tagovailoa should be the favorite to win the job. A former teammate of his certainly thinks so.
“Him going into Atlanta now, he’s got a new situation, a new environment, and I know he’s going to go in there,” Dolphins offensive tackle Patrick Paul said on “The Set” podcast with Terron Armstead. “He’s definitely going to win that spot.”
“He’s a great player,” Paul said. “So, definitely rooting for him.”
Tua Tagovailoa Had a Rough 2025 Season
Tagovailoa was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on March 9, 2026. He was officially signed to a one-year contract worth up to $1.3 million.
In 2025, Tua Tagovailoa played 14 games, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, finishing with a passer rating of 88.5.
“I know he’s going to bounce back from what was last year, and he’s going to do his thing over there,” Paul said. “So, I’m waiting to see it. Waiting to see his bounce back. For sure. It’s all it is. That’s all it is. It’s just a bounce back. Yeah.”
Tua Tagovailoa played six seasons with the Miami Dolphins. His career has been up and down due to the injuries he has suffered including multiple concussions.
Tua Tagovailoa has been vocal about competing this upcoming season.
“If there’s no competition, I don’t think anyone’s getting better, in aspect of the field of work you’re in,” Tagovailoa said in an Atlanta Falcons article. “I am excited to be able to compete against [Penix], to compete with him, to be able to get to know my teammates on a personal level, knowing them from the outside in. We have a lot of good football players on this team, so I’m excited to get to play with these guys and get the chance to throw the ball around, conversate with them. I think it’s going to be great.”
Tua Tagovailoa May Have Upper Hand in Competition
Alex Van Pelt, the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach, explained where the quarterback competition stands at this point in the offseason.
“It’s tough having a competition when both guys aren’t competing at the same level (physically),” Van Pelt said in an Atlanta Falcons article. “… [Michael Penix Jr.] has done a great job of getting himself to where he is right now. Really impressed to see him take 7-on-7 reps, but really, there is no competition until we can actually evaluate them equally.”
Because of Michael Penix Jr.’s availability, Tua Tagovailoa has taken over first team reps.
Throughout social media, we’ve seen Tua Tagovailoa making some impressive throws during practice including one to Drake London during practice.
According to an ESPN article, Tua Tagovailoa has shined at minicamp. The longer Penix stays sidelined, the more Tagovailoa gains Kevin Stefanski’s trust as the first team’s quarterback.
“In an 11-on-11 team session in the red zone, the quarterback went 3-for-3 with a touchdown pass over the middle to running back Bijan Robinson. He also had completions during that series to rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch and free agent acquisition Jahan Dotson,” Marc Raimondi wrote in the ESPN article.
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