The Atlanta Falcons may not have much patience with Tua Tagovailoa.
The Atlanta Falcons are getting set to play the opening game of their season, and after an offseason of questions, it will ultimately be Tua Tagovailoa getting the start and the first crack at the QB1 gig.
It seems like this is a temporary thing and that if Michael Penix Jr. was physically ready he would be the one starting, however Tagovailoa is going to get the chance to prove he is the best option. After a rough summer in training camp and the preseason though, the hopes from most are not exactly sky high on whether or not he can get the job done.
During the pregame for Wednesday night's league opener, Mike Florio reported on just how short Tagovailoa's leash may be, putting not only his starting job in jeopardy but his roster spot as well.
Florio Says Falcons Could Release Tagovailoa if He Struggles
"If it doesn’t go well for Tua and he gets benched again, I’m told there is a strong possibility the Falcons will do what the Dolphins did and cut Tua Tagovailoa," Florio declared before the game.
What exactly that would look like remains to be seen, however Atlanta did keep four quarterbacks on the roster and could conceivably part ways with one at some point during the season in order to create a roster spot. It did not seem likely it would be the Week 1 starter, but if the Falcons believe in both Cooper Rush and Jack Strand as backups, it could make sense to part ways with Tagovailoa when Penix does return.
Tagovailoa can prove his case by playing well in the games he does get to start, and if he can play well and win some games it's clear he would surprise a whole lot of doubters.
If he does in fact struggle the way a lot of people think he will though, keeping him around as a backup to Penix would not be extremely necessary given the fact he is on a cheap one-year contract.
Regardless of the outcome, it's clear that Tagovailoa is entering this season without a whole lot of faith in him both from the fanbase or from the media. Whether or not this proves accurate could go a long way towards defining what the first couple weeks of the season look like for Atlanta.
If Tagovailoa does not take a step from what he did this summer, his career both with the Falcons and in the NFL could be in jeopardy.
