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The Atlanta Falcons may have surprised some this offseason when they quickly targeted Tua Tagovailoa as the backup to Michael Penix Jr. While the Falcons’ front office knew Penix’s late-season ACL tear would complicate things and likely prevent him from opening the season as the starter. Few anticipated the Falcons would sign a former Pro Bowl QB to bridge the gap. Nevertheless, now the Falcons have both QBs, and Penix has just been cleared for full contact, which means it’s only a matter of time before the battle really gets underway. Yet, one NFL insider suggests Tagovailoa has already foiled the team’s plans. Related: 1 Bold Prediction for Each Game on NFL Preseason Week 3 Schedule Tua Tagovailoa’s Drastic Struggles Leaving Door Open for Michael Penix Jr. When the Falcons signed the 28-year-old Tagovailoa, the belief was that he’d push Penix for the starting role. Even though Penix’s absence from practices due to injury created more opportunities for Tagovailoa to get ahead of the competition while learning coach Kevin Stefanski’s new offense, that’s not what has happened in Atlanta. Instead, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport says Tagovailoa’s struggles both in preseason play and during training camp practices have made it “impossible” for the team to hand him the starting job. From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: Michael Penix Jr now has a chance to win the starting job for the #Falcons, which would be great news for the organization. pic.twitter.com/rVvQHU1jLX — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2026 Now that Penix has finally returned to practice, Tagovailoa’s poor play has reopened the starting competition for the former. Which, if Tagovailoa can’t run away with the job in Atlanta, who’s to say he can be successful elsewhere? Surely another team would be willing to see if they can recapture Tagovailoa’s top form, possibly even the Los Angeles Chargers, who hired his former head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. The Chargers are still trying to identify Justin Herbert‘s QB2, and neither Trey Lance nor DJ Uiagalelei have run away with the job. Related: NFL Preseason Week 2 Winners and Losers: From Deshaun Watson to Stephen Dix Jr