One of the biggest quarterback battles to watch in the 2026 NFL offseason is the one between Atlanta Falcons signal-callers Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. Both have had up-and-down careers, and there’s plenty of debate surrounding the subject.
NFL analyst Louis Reddick of ESPN recently gave his own take on the situation.
“I personally think (Tua Tagovailoa) should win this job,” Riddick said. “All things being equal, no disrespect to Michael Penix, Tua is a fantastic passer. If he can stay on the football field, and they can play complementary football, I think he wins the job.”
While both Penix and Tagovailoa have dealt with injury throughout their careers, something that has drawn concern when it comes to the conversation of their respective long-term NFL futures, Riddick makes a fine point here on what may set Tagovailoa apart from Penix.
Tua Tagovailoa Brings Extra Asset To The Table That Michael Penix Jr. Does Not
Michael Penix Jr. has garnered a lot of praise for his athletic ability, his physical traits, and his absolute rocket of an arm. But one thing he has come under fire for on a regular basis is where he falls short as a passer. Much of this has to do with his unorthodox mechanics, which he has been criticized for since his college days.
Tagovailoa’s accuracy and ball placement have stood out in way that Penix cannot even compare to. The former Dolphins quarterback finished out the 2025 season with a 64.1% completion rate, which is actually the worst of his career, despite it being a plenty satisfactory overall completion rate for a quarterback in general.
The highest mark of his career came in 2024, when he completed 72.9% of his passing attempts. Penix can’t say the same, with 58.1% completion in 2024 and 60.1% in 2025. While the total number of games played is quite different, it’s easy to see in the film where the two differ from a pure passing perspective — and it is not close.
Tua Tagovailoa Has A Lot To Work With To Maxize His Potential With The Falcons
On top of being the better of the two at throwing the ball, Tagovailoa has everything he needs to make the most of his abilities in Atlanta. The Falcons feature a loaded receiving corps with a lot of potential, recently extending Drake London’s contract for a total of $141 million over four years.
In addition to London, Tagovailoa will also have 2026 NFL Draft selection Zachariah Branch, Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and others as passing targets. Between this and an offensive line that was ranked 16th in the NFL last season, Tagovailoa is presented with a much better situation overall offensively than the one he had in Miami, which ranked 29th in the exact same statistical category.
Considering how good his numbers were, in spite of injuries and all, it’s an exciting thing for Falcons fans to imagine what kind of offense he could guide in Atlanta. It will also be interesting to see whether Atlanta utilizes both quarterbacks, given how the team did so during the Kirk Cousins experiment.
ESPN Analyst Reveals Position on Falcons QB Battle Between Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa