The Atlanta Falcons are heading into their preseason finale with the quarterback picture still unsettled, and Thursday brought another twist: outside interest in Tua Tagovailoa.
Denver Broncos reporter Benjamin Allbright said multiple quarterbacks could be on the move in the next few weeks, and Tagovailoa was among the names he listed as drawing attention around the league. Dillon Gabriel, J.J. McCarthy and Anthony Richardson were also mentioned.
“Could see multiple QBs on the move in the next few weeks,” Allbright wrote. “All have had calls placed on them to varying degrees of interest.”
That report does not say the Falcons are trying to move Tagovailoa, and it does not point to a trade happening anytime soon. What it does show is that teams have made calls and that Tagovailoa’s name is at least part of the leaguewide conversation as clubs sort through their quarterback situations before the regular season.
The timing matters because Tagovailoa is set to start Friday night against the Miami Dolphins in Atlanta’s preseason finale at Hard Rock Stadium. Michael Penix Jr. will not play as he continues working his way back from an ACL injury, while Kevin Stefanski continues to evaluate the quarterback competition.
Atlanta brought in Tagovailoa this offseason to compete with Penix for the starting job, but nothing has been settled. Penix was limited early in training camp while recovering, and Tagovailoa missed the first week with a back injury.
Earlier this week, Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 work, which was supposed to open the door to the real battle between the two quarterbacks. Even so, the race still looks wide open. Tagovailoa has not pulled away from the former first-round pick during his limited reps, and that keeps the door open for Penix to win the job.
Friday gives Tagovailoa one more chance to make his case. Penix will not get another preseason snap, so Tagovailoa’s performance against Miami could carry real weight as Stefanski weighs who should open the season as the Week 1 starter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Falcons have not set a deadline for naming that starter, and Stefanski said this week he’s willing to wait as long as the league permits.
“Whenever they tell me I have to,” Stefanski said this week. “Honestly, not trying to be coy.
Just a little focus on what's available to us, what information is available to us. Obviously, this has been something that we need to work through as people come back off of injury.
I mean, Tua was injured to start camp, and then Mike's been injured, not doing the 11-on-11. So, you just every day you're just trying to make decisions based on who's available to you.
The good news is very, very happy with our guys and the progress they've all made.”
If Tagovailoa plays well against his former team, the trade chatter may fade behind the larger question of who starts in Week 1 and whether the Falcons can buy Penix more time to recover from surgery. If he has a rough night, the case for Penix only gets stronger.
For now, Tagovailoa is still on the Falcons roster and still scheduled to start Friday. But with teams reportedly calling and the starting job still up for grabs, his status is one of the biggest storylines to watch as the regular season nears.
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