With long-term questions looming, Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa are zeroed in on daily growth.
Tori McElhaney
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. There's an old saying that rings especially true for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback room in the early days of the 2026 offseason program. Self-help books have been written about it. Songs have been inspired by it. For Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, it's the message their head coach is emphasizing right now.
Be where your feet are.
It's a reminder to stay grounded in the present, not to get caught looking too far ahead.
As we've written previously,the goals for Penix and Tagovailoa differ this offseason. Penix's focus is simple: get healthy. Point blank. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, issearching for a fresh start.
Those are long-term objectives, though ones without a clear timeline. That's especially true for Penix, who head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to describe as being "right where he needs to be" in his recovery from a season-ending knee injury.
When asked about Penix's return timeline, Stefanski said the Falcons are "not so focused on timetables just yet." The team expects to have more clarity as training camp approaches. Until then, questions about preseason or early-season reps will be addressed in due time.
"It will be a competition but I can't tell you exactly what it will look like until Michael gets healthy," Stefanski said at Annual League Meetings a couple weeks ago. "But the quarterback position like all of our other positions will be a competition, yes."
So, what can they control right now? Simply be where their feet are, and for Phase I of the offseason program, that means time spent in the weight room and the classroom.
Those are the immediate priorities, and where both quarterbacks will be evaluated before they ever step onto the field.
"So much of their jobs and their evaluation is going to be on a day-to-day basis," Stefanski said of Penix and Tagovailoa. "Treat every meeting, treat every practice like it's a game. Put yourself in the game setting and give the best accounting of yourself that you can."
Before anything else, though, they must learn the system. At this stage, both players are firmly planted in the playbook.
"There's going to be a lot of building foundational knowledge for them throughout this offseason," Stefanski said. "That's what I know Coach (Alex) Van Pelt is working very hard with the quarterback room and focusing on the foundational knowledge first."
For both players and where they find themselves in April 2026, it ultimately comes back to that familiar message.
"It's about being where your feet are," Stefanski said, "and making sure you're not getting too far ahead of yourself."
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