ATLANTA (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa’s first chance at a fresh start with the Atlanta Falcons comes Sunday in Pittsburgh, where he made the final start of his rocky final season with the Miami Dolphins.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday that Tagovailoa will open the season as the starter and Michael Penix Jr. will not play. Cooper Rush will be the backup.
Penix was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice but did not participate in the preseason game as he continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his 2025 season.
There is already speculation about how long Tagovailoa will remain in the starting job after he was benched and eventually cut by the Dolphins last season. Tagovailoa said Wednesday that Stefanski “didn’t say anything like that” when he revealed his plan for the quarterback this week.
“The way I look at it is, I need to take it day by day,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “It’s out of my control. I can control how I prepare, how I go on the field, how I perform. That’s all I can do.”
Stefanski wouldn’t say Monday whether a healthy Penix would be a backup.
“I’m going to stay in Week 1 right now and in Pittsburgh and I’m not going to speculate any further,” Stefanski said. “I don’t think it’s unfair to anyone at this point. But I’m happy with where everyone is.”
Asked if he believes he has something to prove this season, Tagovailoa responded: “I don’t think for myself, and what I believe in, I don’t have anything to prove to anyone outside. It’s to prove to myself that I can continue to play at a high level.”
Tagovailoa set a career high with 15 interceptions before being benched for the final three games of last season.
He showed mixed results in the preseason with Atlanta. He had two bad snaps in exhibition games, including one from the shotgun. He said ball security will be key to returning to his form in 2023, when he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, and in 2024, when he led the league with 72.9% of his passes completed.
The quarterback said proper preparation is key to preventing turnovers.
“At the end of the day, that’s it,” Tagovailoa said. “Be prepared for certain looks, and if we don’t get certain looks, what are your checks, what are your outlets? Just be able to keep attacking the field, keep the ball moving.”
Stefanski said his goal is to develop a plan against the Steelers defense that plays to Tagovailoa’s strengths.
“You’re only worth it if you do what your players do best and if you build on what your players do best,” Stefanski said. “I can tell you that throughout my career I’ve worked with all the quarterbacks, whether they started them or not, guys are comfortable with certain things, but not everything.”
Tagovailoa said he appreciated the opportunity to start.
“I would say it’s a blessing,” he said. “Again, it’s not something I take for granted. When something is taken away from you, you start to analyze everything and think about all the things you could have changed. I just kind of… look back at Miami and think I could have done better.”
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