Former Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t had the easiest start to his NFL career. Now, another quarterback competition is threatening to derail things even further.
After being selected by the Atlanta Falcons No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Heisman finalist spent almost his entire rookie season holding a clipboard for veteran free agent Kirk Cousins. He then struggled with consistency during his first full season as a starter, and was in the midst of a four-game losing streak when he suffered the third ACL injury of his career –a partial tear in his previously-healthy left knee–last November.
That injury, which has kept Penix out of 11-on-11 practices to this point in the offseason, was certainly a motivating factor behind Atlanta’s decision to sign former Miami Dolphins passer Tua Tagovailoa to a league-minimum salary in March. Tagovailoa was benched and then released following a turnover-laden sixth season in Miami, but according to ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, the former Alabama quarterback could already have found his next starting job.
ESPN’s Louis Riddick expects Tua Tagovailoa to beat out Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta
On Wednesday, when the Falcons’ quarterback competition was mentioned on ESPN’s NFL Live, Riddick made it clear that he expects Tagovailoa to take over as Atlanta’s starting quarterback.
“I think Tua is tailor-made for this offense,” Riddick said. “I’m putting my money on him winning this job. If he can stay healthy, all things being equal, I think he’s the better fit for the offense that [Kevin Stefanski] ideally would like to run.”
Both quarterbacks are left-handed, both were drafted in the top 10, and both have struggled mightily with injuries in the past. In breaking down the competition, Riddick compared Penix and Tagovailoa’s biggest perceived weaknesses, accuracy and decision-making respectively.
Penix’s completion percentage of 60.1% ranked 27th out of 29 quarterbacks with 300+ dropbacks in 2025, but his interception rate of just 1.1% was the group’s lowest. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa’s completion percentage of 67.7% tied for the group’s seventh-best, but the former Dolphin also threw 15 interceptions (the league’s second-most) at a group-high rate of 3.9%. Interestingly, while Penix recorded the better QBR (a poor 57.9 to Tagovailoa’s dismal 37.5), the two finished 2025 with the same passer rating of 88.5 (T-26th nationally).
No true competition yet, but Tagovailoa holds several advantages
Ultimately, it’ll be up to new head coach Kevin Stefanski to decide which style of quarterback he prefers. We likely won’t get a decision until Penix has fully recovered from his knee injury, but the current outlook certainly favors the more accurate Tagovailoa.
"[Accuracy] is the most important trait at the position, as we've always talked about," Stefanski said before a May 27 practice. Stefanski also described the former Dolphin as “very accurate” and said that he was “working very hard.”
Tagovailoa has reportedly been impressive this offseason, and ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported on Wednesday that he’d been especially good during the final day of minicamp, including a perfect three-play red zone drive with the starting offense. Raimondi reported that while Penix also played well in 7-on-7s, he was doing so with the second-team offense.
Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who have stressed the importance of player health this offseason, have refused to declare a true quarterback competition given Penix’s injury limitations. Stefanski has also stated that “we’re not handing out jobs in June,” and that he’s been “very impressed with everything [Penix] is doing on the field, and in the meeting room as well.”
However, the odds may be against Penix nonetheless. Tagovailoa began this offseason with 76 more NFL starts under his belt to Penix’s 12, and a record of 46-32 to Penix’s 4-8. Tagovailoa’s already shown plenty of success, too: He led the NFL in passer rating in 2022, in passing yards in 2023, and in completion percentage in 2024.
Is it too early to write Penix off? Absolutely. He’s played less than a full season of NFL football and possesses the kind of undeniable arm talent which led the Washington Huskies to a national championship appearance in 2024. There’s a reason he was drafted No. 8 overall, even if his selection by Atlanta perplexed fans at the time.
However, he’s still recuperating from a severe knee injury, and he’s already dealt with two such injuries to his other knee. The healthier, more experienced Tagovailoa may be a safer option for the Falcons as they begin their rebuild, even if Husky fans would like to see Penix get another shot right away.
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