Atlanta is the last team in the league without an announced starter, and GM Ian Cunningham isn't in a hurry to fix that. Asked point blank on Wednesday whether the Falcons had settled the Michael Penix Jr.-versus-Tua Tagovailoa question, his answer was blunt: not yet.
The Falcons are the only team in the NFL without an announced starter at QB, and Ian Cunningham said Wednesday the team has "not yet" identified its answer. "Ultimately, when the coaches are ready, when the players are ready, we’ll make that decision."t.co/otJPQw6sAA
Cunningham's full quote sums up the vibe in Atlanta right now: "Ultimately, when the coaches are ready, when the players are ready, we'll make that decision." That's not a coach stalling for leverage against an opponent — it's a franchise that genuinely hasn't seen enough. Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, spent most of camp working back from a torn ACL and wasn't cleared for full 11-on-11 work until late. He didn't play in the preseason finale in Miami. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, dealt with his own back issue early in camp and was inconsistent when he did play. Neither guy has forced the issue.
Falcons GM Ian Cunningham: We haven't made QB decision for Week 1 yet. t.co/PDrtSYPDS2
The Falcons underlined how unsettled things are by carrying 4 quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster — Penix, Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Cunningham called the extra bodies something close to an insurance policy, which tells you how little certainty there is about Week 1 against the Steelers, let alone the rest of the season.
There's a bigger number hanging over all of this: Penix's fifth-year option decision comes up next April. Cunningham noted the Falcons have picked up the option on 10 of their last 12 first-round picks — it's close to a default move for this front office — but he was clear they need to actually see Penix play before committing to anything.
The Falcons have picked up the fifth-year option on 10 of their last 12 first-rounders. Michael Penix Jr. is up in April. “You don’t want to make a decision if you don’t see somebody (play).” The Falcons will manage if not, but more reps from Penix helps.t.co/44vSMgoqbV
"You don't want to make a decision if you don't see somebody (play)," Cunningham said, adding the team will manage even without more reps from Penix before that call has to be made. Reading between the lines, more live snaps for Penix down the stretch of this competition would make an easy option decision easier — and a Week 1 job would obviously be the biggest snap total he could get.
Atlanta spent a first-round pick on Penix a matter of weeks after handing Kirk Cousins a 4-year, $180 million deal, then watched the Cousins era collapse fast enough that Penix took over as a rookie. Now, with Cousins gone and Tagovailoa in the building as the presumptive stopgap, the Falcons are staring at the exact quarterback fork they tried to build in from the start — they just didn't expect to still be standing at it days before kickoff.