It took less than a month for Kevin Stefanski to create quarterback competition at his new job.
On Monday, the Miami Dolphins spent an unprecedented amount of dead cap money by releasing franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. This allowed the Dolphins to sign free agent quarterback Malik Willis and give Tagovailoa a fresh start on a cheap deal.
The Falcons swooped in quickly and added Tagovailoa to the quarterback mix with Michael Penix Jr.
Of course, the internet was quick to point out that this is an injury-prone left-handed quarterback room. Stefanski definitely has a type. In his last game against the Browns, Cleveland overdrafted Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round, coming off a very disappointing rookie season.
But before that, Stefanski gave up on Baker Mayfield, who many believed would be Cleveland’s long-awaited franchise quarterback. Is Stefanski already ready to do that with Penix?
There is no question that availability is your greatest ability. Penix wasn’t like that at all.
In his first two seasons in the NFL, Penix started just 12 games. But this is the player the Falcons invested in with the 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Did Stefanski really quit early on in his Falcons tenure?
It’s eerily similar to what happened in Cleveland. Stefanski and Mayfield had their best seasons of their careers in the NFL playoffs, including a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 postseason. It felt like the beginning of something special. However, Mayfield has been injured in 2021 and his production has severely declined. As the team aggressively pursued Deshaun Watson, it quickly became clear that Stefanski no longer wanted to coach Mayfield.
Penix has thrown 12 touchdowns to six interceptions. That’s a very small sample size for a player whose future is already in doubt after the team added Tagovailoa.
Stefanski has one of the least adaptable offenses in the NFL. At least that was the case during his six seasons in Cleveland. It’s all about rhythm and timing. Unfortunately for Penix, he was a player who quickly rose up draft boards due to his ability to create plays out of structure. During his time in Washington, Penix proved to be a dual-threat left-handed option, making him a difficult player to guard.
Maybe Tagovailoa can do more of what Stefanski wants to accomplish offensively. But the Falcons need to be careful about this. Giving up Penix this early for a limited player like Tagovailoa could land Atlanta in quarterback purgatory.
