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Atlanta Falcons Are Already Considering Cutting Tua Tagovailoa Before He Even Plays A Game For Them

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This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Tua Tagovailoa during a preseason game.
Tua Tagovailoa. Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is already getting messy. Atlanta has not taken a regular-season snap yet. Cut talk around Tua Tagovailoa still landed anyway. On an NBC sideline hit, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio floated a blunt scenario. A Falcons fan account posted the clip.

“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.”

Miami released him after a 15-interception 2025 and a late benching. Atlanta signed him in March on a one-year veteran-minimum deal.

Coach Kevin Stefanski still named him the Week 1 starter. The Falcons visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Michael Penix Jr. will sit while he works back from last year’s torn ACL.

Falcons Fans Already Fear A Tua Tagovailoa Cut

Tua and four other QBs could be moved.
Tua Tagovailoa (Photo by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

The timing stings because this is the same building where his Miami run ended. The Dolphins benched him last December after a tough loss in Pittsburgh. Now he walks back in as Atlanta’s QB1.

Camp never quieted the noise. A practice lowlight made fans wince. His preseason debut immediately produced a fumble and a viral meme. A Bahamas karaoke video then set off another round of worry days before the opener.

Miami ate a record dead-money charge to move on. Atlanta is not stuck with that bill. Cooper Rush is already on the roster as the backup. Penix is the long-term bet once he feels ready.

Stefanski refused to name a season-long starter. That leaves Tua Tagovailoa on a week-to-week leash.

What A Tua Tagovailoa Bench Would Mean Sunday

Tua Tagovailoa in uniform.
Tua Tagovailoa (Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)

Tua Tagovailoa tried to keep the focus on Sunday. He told reporters he can only control his prep and his play. He also said he has nothing to prove to outsiders.

The Athletic reported that he called this opportunity a chance to change perceptions. He also said he takes the opportunity day by day. That sounds calm, but Florio’s report does not.

If the Steelers wreck the first drive, the bench talk will start before the fourth quarter. If Penix later says he is ready, Atlanta can pivot without worrying about a competent replacement.

Falcons fans wanted a clean Week 1, yet they got a rumor instead. Tua Tagovailoa still has to play the game first. Until then, Atlanta will keep hearing the same question Miami already answered.

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