Tua Tagovailoa Gets the Preseason Nod for the Falcons (But Not the QB1 Crown Just Yet)

Tua Tagovailoa is officially taking the first snap for the Atlanta Falcons this Friday night against the Denver Broncos. Head coach Kevin Stefanski made the announcement on Wednesday, giving everyone a reason to actually tune into the first quarter of a preseason game.

But because this is the NFL and coaches treat depth charts like classified state secrets, Stefanski stopped short of officially crowning Tua the regular-season QB1. Starting the preseason opener is usually the universal sign that the job is yours, but apparently, we still have to pretend there is a dramatic camp battle happening behind closed doors.

"Adam Schefter reported the news via Marc Raimondi, noting Stefanski's decision to start Tua without naming him the official QB1."

The reality is that you do not roll out a veteran quarterback with Tua's resume in the first exhibition game unless you are trying to get him live reps in a new system. The Falcons are clearly trying to knock the rust off and get him synced up with the first-team offense before the games actually count.

For anyone trying to read the tea leaves for fantasy drafts or early season win totals, this is the exact breadcrumb you want. A strong couple of drives against whatever vanilla defense the Broncos trot out will likely force Stefanski to drop the charade and hand over the keys for good.

We will see exactly how comfortable Tua looks in his new threads on Friday night. If he marches down the field and puts seven on the board, expect the official QB1 announcement to hit your timeline before he even takes his shoulder pads off.