Tua Tagovailoa: Everything you need to know

Tagovailoa officially signed his one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons on Friday. Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed Friday that Tagovailoa will compete with Michael Penix (knee) for the starting quarterback role in Atlanta, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Both are oft-injured left-handed quarterbacks, but Tua is the healthier of the two at the moment, as he passed a physical in order to effectuate his contract with Atlanta while Penix is recovering from November surgery to repair a torn ACL. Penix has a chance to be ready for the start of the regular season, but Tagovailoa could have the early edge in Atlanta's QB competition while Penix works his way back into form.

Tagovailoa and the Falcons have reached an agreement on a one-year, $1.3 million contract, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports. The deal should become official Wednesday evening after the Dolphins release Tagovailoa, who is due $54 million in guaranteed money. His new contract offsets what he's owed from Miami, so there's no incentive to sign for more than the minimum. With fellow left-handed quarterback Michael Penix rehabbing from ACL surgery, Tagovailoa could get a chance to rehab his value under new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski. Atlanta has been busy in the opening hours of free-agent negotiations, releasing WRs Darnell Mooney and KhaDarel Hodge after quickly reaching agreements with WRs Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson. The WR room still looks shaky beyond Drake London, but Bijan Robinson and a strong offensive line go a long way.

Tagovailoa "appears poised" to sign with the Falcons once he's officially released by Miami on Wednesday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Tagovailoa would join a QB room led by fellow lefty Michael Penix, who underwent surgery in late November to repair an ACL tear. Tagovailoa likely will sign a vet-minimum contract with his next team, as any new money would simply offset the $54 million guaranteed that Miami owes him. If Tagovailoa does end up signing with the Falcons, it'll be a strong hint that Penix isn't expected to be ready for Week 1. At the very least, Tagovailoa would get first-team reps (under new coach Kevin Stefanski) throughout the offseason program and into training camp. Meanwhile, the Falcons are in line to release fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins at the start of the league year, right around the time when Miami figures to cut ties with Tagovailoa.