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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Michael Penix Jr., the Atlanta Falcons' eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is recovering from yet another ACL tear — the third of his young career — suffered late in the 2025 season.
As a result, he's still limited to 7-on-7 drills in Falcons practices and has yet to be cleared for full contact.
With the 2026 season set to kick off in about a month, that timeline has put his chances of winning the starting job in jeopardy. He's already been ruled out for Atlanta's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and on Wednesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed who will start in his place: Tua Tagovailoa.
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Tagovailoa has dealt with his own injury this camp — lower back tightness that flared up early on — but he's since returned to full participation, working in 11-on-11 drills with his new teammates. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million veteran-minimum deal with the Falcons in March after the Miami Dolphins moved on from their longtime franchise quarterback following six seasons.
Tagovailoa has a lengthy injury history of his own, but he's also been one of the most efficient passers in the league since entering the NFL in 2020. He holds a career completion percentage of 68%, led the league with a 72.9% completion rate in 2024, and topped the NFL with a 105.5 passer rating in 2022.
His final season in Miami was undeniably disappointing — 2,660 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, the second-most in the league. But he now has a fresh opportunity in Atlanta to rewrite that narrative. Surrounded by elite weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, Tagovailoa could be in line for one of his best seasons yet — and Friday will be the Falcons' first look at how well he's meshed with his new teammates.
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