The Atlanta Falcons played their first preseason game recently, which means fans had their first look at Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa signed with Atlanta this offseason to try to re-establish himself as a starting quarterback at the NFL level. Some around the NFL weren’t pleased with the Falcons quarterback’s preseason debut, though.
Tagovailoa is currently in a competition for the starting job in Atlanta. He did not play a ton in the preseason opening loss. But he certainly had a chance to make some sort of case for the starting role over Michael Penix Jr.
Atlanta hopes it can get something out of the former Alabama star. But those outside the organization are not convinced. One former NFL quarterback used his platform to lay into Tagovailoa after his less-than-stellar preseason debut.
Former NFL QB Lays into Falcons, Tua Tagovailoa After Brutal Preseason Opener
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, during a segment of “Pro Football Talk,” spoke with Mike Florio about Tagovailoa’s start for the Falcons in the preseason. The picture Simms painted of the outing was not a positive one, to say the least.
“You know I’m not really a believer in Tua. And I don’t know if this offense with (offensive coordinator) Tommy Rees and what (head coach) Kevin Stefanski does is really gonna fit Tua altogether when it’s all said and done,” Simms said.
“I think we’re all gonna see with Tua and go, ‘Man, you see how many favors (former Miami Dolphins coach) Mike McDaniel did for this guy?’ Now he’s gotta make plays and throws and he doesn’t have every trick of the trade,” the former NFL QB continued.
Tagovailoa threw five total passes in his preseason work on Friday. He completed three of them and amassed 22 yards through the air. The Falcons lost this game to the Denver Broncos by a score of 27-7.
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The Falcons had a brutal 2025 campaign that saw them finish 8-9. They just missed out on winning a weak NFC South division that was ultimately won by the Carolina Panthers, who also went 8-9 in 2025.
Atlanta is certainly hoping to take a step forward in what is a rather winnable division. Tagovailoa, who ranked 28th on PFN’s QB Impact Rankings last season, has shown the ability to produce at a very high level in the past.
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Though, as Simms alluded to, this happened under a Miami Dolphins offense led by McDaniel, one of the best offensive minds in the game.
Tagovailoa has a lot of work to do to prove the doubters wrong ahead of the new season. The Falcons are certainly going to give him every opportunity to do just that in 2026.
