In one of the least shocking moves of the 2026 offseason, the Dolphins decided to move on from who they hoped would become their franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and chose to take a risk on Malik Willis, whom the Titans gave up on far more quickly.
It was a fresh start for everyone and allowed Tagovailoa to choose his next destination, since Miami couldn't trade him because of his contract. He chose to sign with the Falcons, despite already appearing to have a QB1 on the roster with Michael Penix Jr.
However, they're far from confident with the third-year signal caller, and now they have a legitimate competition this summer.
For the most part, seeing Tagovailoa leave the AFC East wasn't anything significant for the Patriots, since they haven't had a real rivalry with the Dolphins for quite some time. But there were some harsh feelings toward Tua, since he had an almost undefeated record against them in the regular season, going 7-1 since 2020, proving just how much a quarterback can change an offense.
When the Dolphins had a different quarterback under center, the Patriots didn't have too much to worry about. Tua quickly and surprisingly became Bill Belichick's kryptonite, and although he didn't have that much success against other teams, he was always a problem for the Patriots.
He's not living up to that potential with the Falcons so far, and even got embarrassed in their preseason opener by fumbling the first snap of the game. But seeing how well he played against the Patriots, even with a legendary coach making the calls, means the NFC South shouldn't overlook Tua's potential.
Tua Tagovailoa could create a lot more problems in the NFC South than they're predicting
At this stage of the offseason, analysts are already predicting that Tagovailoa will win the battle to be the Falcons' next starter. Some of that may be due to his experience in the league, but much of it likely stems from Penix Jr. still being a bit shaky and unreliable.
It's a decision that's already being criticized before it's even official because of how poorly Tagovailoa has played in recent years. The Dolphins decided they were fine with the dead money they'd take on by releasing him, and they weren't in a position to draft their next quarterback, so moving on without a solid plan was a big risk.
That's a risk few teams are willing to take unless their situation is that bad, and from what we've seen, that's exactly how they felt.
The Falcons hope they can be a breath of fresh air for Tagovailoa, believing a change of scenery can refresh his career, as we've seen with others around the league, such as Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.
Both quarterbacks were in horrible situations with the teams that drafted them, which led to them being cut and bouncing around the league until they finally got another starting opportunity; they are now considered among the better quarterbacks going into the 2026 season.
Tagovailoa will try to do the same in Atlanta, and he could start by beating out Penix for the starting job over the next few weeks. It will be his job to lose, and given his history, it might not be that difficult to make that happen.
But there are also reasons for the Falcons to trust what he could do, and their immediate rivals shouldn't overlook him too early or definitively, as the Patriots might have when he was still in the division.
This isn't to say that Tagovailoa is going to lead the Falcons to the playoffs or go on a historically good run at quarterback like others, but it's premature to come to any conclusion about what kind of player he can be for a new team, especially since he always fared well against a well-coached group like the Patriots.
That means anything is possible, even for Tua.
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