Tua Tagovailoa’s best days as a Miami Dolphins quarterback are years behind him now, and that’s a big reason (along with a hefty contract) that he’s no longer a member of the Dolphins at all.
The veteran lefty QB is now hoping that the Atlanta Falcons can squint and see some of his best self still there to be utilized this season.
Once the Dolphins cut Tagovailoa, he signed with the Falcons. Atlanta had moved on from Kirk Cousins, but a starting gig was not guaranteed at all. The Falcons still have Michael Penix, another lefty, competing to start, as well.
All bets were off this offseason for the Falcons, too, because they did a wholesale replacement of their front office and coaching staff.
Matt Ryan is now leading football operations, and he certainly knows a thing or two about quarterback play.
Kevin Stefanski is the new head coach after being dismissed by the Cleveland Browns. Given what Stefanski dealt with at QB in Cleveland, he’s probably happy to be choosing between Tagovailoa and Penix.
But as of Wednesday, Sept. 2, at least publicly, there hasn’t been a decision yet.
Falcons GM Ian Cunningham spoke to reporters on Wednesday and essentially said that there isn’t any news yet.
“Ultimately, when the coaches are ready, when the players are ready, we will make that decision,” Cunningham said.
Dolphins fans are surely happy to be relying on Malik Willis this season, but they’ll be keeping an eye on Atlanta. Tagovailoa had some fun moments in Miami. They won’t forget those despite the bumpy ending.
Is Tua Starting?
This still hasn’t been decided, or at least announced publicly, with a week-and-a-half for the Falcons to make up their mind for Week 1.
An injury recovery for Penix hasn’t helped matters.
“Penix was cleared for football activities after recovering from a torn ACL over a week ago, but did not play in the team’s final preseason game,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on Wednesday. “That lack of work was mitigated by Tagovailoa’s ups and downs while in game action last month. Tagovailoa also dealt with a back injury early in camp and the extended looks that Jack Strand and Cooper Rush received over the summer resulted in them making the cut to the 53-man roster as well.”
It’s probably not a good sign for the two lefties that the QB getting the most praise in camp is the undrafted D-II rookie Strand, but that’s the state of Tua’s career at the moment.
When Do The Falcons Play?
Atlanta has to make the decision before Sunday, Sept. 13.
That’s when they open the season on the road in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.
This isn’t the strongest Steelers team ever, but their defense will still be solid. If Tagovailoa wins the job, he’ll have his work cut out for him to outduel Aaron Rodgers on the scoreboard and T.J. Watt on the field.
The Dolphins open that day against the Raiders and the veteran Cousins, formerly of the Falcons and the winner of the Las Vegas QB1 job over Fernando Mendoza. But Miami plays in the late afternoon window, meaning if Tua is playing, he’ll be there to watch first.
Ex-Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Gets Update on Falcons’ Starting Job