Tua Tagovailoa poised to beat out Michael Penix Jr. for Falcons' Week 1 job

The Falcons' quarterback battle that was supposed to be a real fight in training camp is starting to look like a foregone conclusion. Tua Tagovailoa came to Atlanta this offseason as insurance behind Michael Penix Jr., but Penix's rehab has stalled his side of the competition before it could even get going.

Penix tore his ACL and hasn't gotten the green light to practice, let alone play, which has left Tagovailoa scooping up every first-team rep since the spring. Tua signed on with Atlanta back in March as a stopgap while Penix worked his way back, but a stopgap starting every rep tends to stop being a stopgap.

It's a strange spot for a team that used a first-round pick on Penix not too long ago, but the Falcons reportedly aren't messing around this season and want whoever gives them the best shot to win right away. Tagovailoa threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and a 67.7% completion rate in his final year in Miami, so it's not like he's walking in unproven.

Penix himself isn't fighting the framing publicly. He told ESPN's Jeff Fowler that Tua "came in and he's been great" and that his own focus right now is just getting back on the field, not campaigning for the job.

That's the measured version of a guy who knows the calendar isn't on his side. Every week Penix stays out of team drills is another week Tagovailoa builds chemistry with this offense, and in the NFL that gap doesn't close itself just because a knee finally gets cleared.

Nothing is settled yet, but if Rapoport's read holds, Atlanta opens the season with Tua under center and Penix working his way back into the picture from the bench, waiting for a shot that everyone, including Penix, is calling premature to promise.