Tua Tagovailoa will start the Atlanta Falcons’ preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday. The decision comes as the team continues its closely watched quarterback competition, while Michael Penix Jr. remains sidelined from game action despite returning to practice drills this week.
Preseason Finale Starter Named Amid Quarterback Battle
Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed during his Wednesday press conference that Tua Tagovailoa will take the first snaps under center when the Falcons face the Miami Dolphins on Friday night. Tagovailoa signed a one-year contract with Atlanta during the offseason following his release by the Miami Dolphins. In his preseason debut against the Denver Broncos, Tagovailoa went 3-of-5 for 22 yards with a fumble, and he did not play in the subsequent matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Stefanski told reporters that Tagovailoa has shown steady progress over the last couple of weeks. “I think [he’s been] doing a good job,” Stefanski said, noting that the offense is learning a new system. “There’s things from those plays in the Denver game that we learned from, we corrected. So I think all of our players, Tua included, take all that coaching to heart and try to be one day better after it.”
Michael Penix Jr. Progresses to Team Drills but Sidelined for Friday
While Tagovailoa gets the start, Michael Penix Jr. will not play in Friday’s contest. Penix was medically cleared on Saturday and advanced to 11-on-11 work in practice on Monday, marking his first team drills since tearing his ACL last November. Stefanski explained that the coaching staff chose to keep the focus on practice reps and assess how the young quarterback handled the physical workload.
“[Penix] just got back to team drills on Monday. So just felt [we wanted] to keep the focus on these three days and see how he came out of it,” Stefanski said. “I think he did well.” Stefanski added that it was an important week for Penix to experience pocket movement with linemen around him, but declined to name a Week 1 starter or commit to whether Penix will be healthy enough for the season opener. “I’m not going to get into Week 1,” Stefanski said. “We’ll take all the information we have available to us and make the decision when appropriate — really, when we have to.”
Offensive Starters to Suit Up Against Miami
Aside from the quarterback situation, Stefanski indicated that the rest of the Falcons’ offensive starters will take the field on Friday night. That group includes wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson, giving the first-string offense valuable reps ahead of the regular season.
Depth chart positioning behind Tagovailoa for Friday night places Cooper Rush as the second-string quarterback, followed by rookie Jack Strand in the third spot. The preseason finale serves as Tagovailoa’s final opportunity to audition against his former team before coaching staff decisions become final.
Regular Season Horizon
The Atlanta Falcons open their 2026 regular-season schedule against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 13. With final roster cuts and the official depth chart announcement looming, Friday night’s matchup against the Dolphins marks the last exhibition test for the franchise before meaningful games begin.
