PHOENIX — When it comes to the quarterback position in Atlanta, head coach Kevin Stefanski said the competition will be open.
The team signed Tua Tagovailoa following his release by the Miami Dolphins a few weeks ago when the new league year opened up. This is a move to insulate the quarterback position around a rehabbing Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last season. Penix underwent surgery in November to repair his knee.
While at the Annual League Meetings in Phoenix on Monday, Stefanski hit on the intricacies of the quarterback room now that Tagovailoa joins up.
"I think he fits in a bunch of different ways," Stefanski said of Tagovailoa. "He's a culture fit, a personal fit. I think it's a scheme fit. I think he has had great success in this league when doing a lot of things that we believe in. I think, like what he's talked about, he's looking for an opportunity, and we can provide that opportunity."
The plan from go — when the leadership trio of Stefanski, general manager Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan first got in a room together — was to add depth, but also competition. That was the goal from the start in the quarterback room as well.
"I think our plan was to always bring in competition across our roster," Stefanski said. "It's something Ian believes in, I believe in, Matt believes in. That only makes all of us better at every position."
For Tagovailoa, this is a fresh start. He knows the last couple of seasons in Miami were not the standard by which he wants to be known as a quarterback in this league. In a similar way, that's what his new head coach feels as well.
"I think all of us — players, coaches — you go through some interesting moments in this league and the fun part is to see how you respond to those things," Stefanski said. "For Tua, this is a new opportunity for him, and for me. You get to put your best foot forward in these types of situations."
For Penix, Stefanski reiterated what he has said since he got to Atlanta: Penix's No. 1 goal right now is to get healthy and to focus on his rehab.
"He's in the building all the time, and I'm excited for what that looks like when he's healthy," Stefanski said. "But we're not going to rush him, and he's not going to rush himself."
Asked if he expected Penix to be physically ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 season this fall, Stefanski said he didn't feel as though it was fair of him to say one way or another at this point.
Because of the change in leadership and coaching staff, the Falcons can begin opening the facility to players next week for offseason programs. This will be an important time for coaches to catch up with players, like Penix, regarding how they're feeling in their rehab.
"There are obviously timelines when it comes to injuries, but we are all different. So, we want to see how he looks in a week, how he looks in a month," Stefanski explained. "I think it would be unfair to say that just yet."
Still, Penix will be back to health at some point.
Asked what that realistically looks like and whether it will be a 50/50 split of all reps for Tagovailoa and Penix when the latter is cleared to return to full action, Stefanski said that will be determined as they know more about Penix's timeline.
Regardless of when that green light is ultimately given, though, the understanding is the starting job will be one for the taking for either man.
"It will be a competition but I can't tell you exactly what it will look like until Michael gets healthy," Stefanski said. "But the quarterback position — like all of our other positions — will be a competition, yes."
