Tua Tagovailoa Gets the Start and Michael Penix Jr. Gets Bubble Wrap in Falcons Preseason Finale
Kevin Stefanski announced Tua Tagovailoa will start the Falcons' preseason finale against the Dolphins, while Michael Penix Jr. sits out to protect his surgically repaired knee.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
Finding live odds…
The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback room is currently operating as a chaotic mix of redemption arcs and medical charts. Head coach Kevin Stefanski just handed us the script for their preseason finale, and it is exactly the kind of drama we deserve.
According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Tua Tagovailoa is officially starting Friday night against his former team, the Miami Dolphins. Cooper Rush will take over as the primary backup, while Michael Penix Jr. gets to spend the evening in bubble wrap on the inactive list.
"Stefanski: Tua will start. Cooper Rush will be backup. Penix will be inactive."
Keeping Penix in street clothes is the only logical move here. He just got cleared for full team drills after tearing his ACL last November. You do not trot a guy with a freshly repaired knee out in a meaningless August exhibition just to see if he can dodge third-string linebackers.
That leaves Tua to take the opening snaps in Miami, which is objectively hilarious theater. Eight months after the Dolphins benched him, he gets to walk back into their stadium and audition for Atlanta's Week 1 job.
Once Tua gets his expected handful of snaps, we get the Cooper Rush experience. Rush has 3,766 career passing yards and 20 touchdowns on his resume, making him the ultimate break-glass-in-case-of-emergency veteran to eat up preseason clock before Jack Strand closes out the game.
For anyone degenerate enough to be looking at the lines for a preseason finale, knowing Tua is actually taking the field gives you a clear read on the early game script. Atlanta is treating the first quarter like a dress rehearsal before handing the keys to the backups.
The real question is what happens when the games actually matter. Stefanski still has not officially named his Week 1 starter for their opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But with Penix being protected like a prized asset and Tua getting the ceremonial start, the Falcons are finally starting to show their hand.
Key stats
Key statsMichael Penix Jr. tore his ACL in November 2025.
Cooper Rush has 3,766 career passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Tua Tagovailoa was benched by the Miami Dolphins eight months ago.
What's next
The Falcons will need to officially name a starting quarterback for their Week 1 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
