Tua Starts, Penix Awaits in Atlanta | NFL News

0:00It's September 7th. NFL News Today starts now. AI powered and always on. All right, let's talk about Atlanta. The Falcons have officially named Tuah Tagaviloah, their starting quarterback to kick off the season. This move wraps up what's been a pretty drawn out quarterback battle. Tuah, who's 28, is heading into a 77th regular season start when they face the Steelers this Sunday. He landed in Atlanta on a one year deal for the veteran minimum, which was about $1.2 million after six years with Miami. He beat out Michael Pennex Jr. who was the Falcons 8th overall pick back in 2024 for the starting gig. But don't count Pennex out just yet. He still expected to get a shot to take over at some point this year. Pennex, 26, tore his ACL last season and was only clear for full practice recently on August 24th. The offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, mentioned that as Camp went on, they focused on what each guy did well

1:00and tailored the offense to their study. Strengths? He specifically noted that Tuah has taken a lot of ownership in running the offense, and they've asked him to do things he hasn't really done before in his career. Now, the decision to start Tuah means the Falcons might not be throwing the ball as deep down field, given his arm strength compared to Pennex. However, Tuah's accuracy has been a consistent strength throughout his career, with a 68% completion rate. Rees did say that when things are clean, Tuah is as accurate as it gets. There's still a strong incentive for the Falcons to play Pennex later in the season, especially since he's only halfway through his rookie contract. The team hasn't made a decision yet on whether to pick up his fifth year option, which would cover the 2028 season.