The Falcons still don't have a starting quarterback (but will soon)

Published September 4, 2026 02:32 PM With the first game of the season only nine days away, the Falcons still haven’t named a starting quarterback.The competition, ostensibly, is between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. But how, as Simms said on Thursday’s PFT Live, can it be a competition when Penix hasn’t been able to compete?The Falcons published their weekly media schedule on Friday, and there will be a “starting quarterback press conference” next Wednesday. Obviously, the identity of the starter will be known by then.Our guess is that it will happen early in the week, probably on Monday, with the announcement coming Tuesday morning at the earliest.And if Penix still isn’t ready to go as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, the likely options are Tua and Cooper Rush. (I’d roll the dice with undrafted rookie Jack Strand, but that’s possibly one of the many reasons why I don’t run a team.) Here’s where the situation can get very interesting. If the Falcons decide to go with Rush, who is 9-7 in 16 career starts, why even keep Tua on the team?His $1.215 million base salary isn’t guaranteed. They could cut him, and he’d still get the full $54 million he’s owed by the Dolphins for 2026.It made sense to sign Tua. He was cheap. He beat the Falcons in Atlanta last year. When everything is working as planned, he can perform at a high level. When, however, things go sideways (e.g., if the first read isn’t there), Tua tends to get happy feet.The Falcons gave it a try. Tua gave it a try. If he can’t beat out Rush for the Week 1 start in Pittsburgh (where Tua made his last start for the Dolphins last December), there’s no reason to keep him on the roster. Frankly, if Tua falls behind Rush, Tua shouldn’t want to stay.