In today’s Falcons Wire<\/a> Recap, Olamide Zaccheaus makes the ESPN All-Backup Team, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones crack Atlanta’s sports Mount Rushmore, and more NFL analysts weigh in on the QB competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa.<\/p>\n CBS Sports’ eyes Falcons QB battle<\/p>\n Penix’s first year as a starter was a mixed bag, but he was playing some of his best football before suffering a torn ACL against the Carolina Panthers<\/a> in Week 11. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa lost his starting job with the Miami Dolphins<\/a> late in the year and was released during the offseason. CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles listed Atlanta’s quarterback competition as the team’s top storyline ahead of training camp.<\/p>\n “The Falcons are cornering the market on lefty quarterbacks, but beyond that, the similarities between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are relatively few and far between,” wrote Pereles<\/a>. “Tagovailoa is accurate in the short and intermediate game; Penix is more erratic but has a major arm strength advantage. Unfortunately, their biggest similarity might be their lengthy injury histories.”<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a>Saints praised for signing ex-Falcons LB Kaden Elliss<\/p>\n The Falcons are still figuring out how they’re going to replace veteran linebacker Kaden Elliss, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the New Orleans Saints<\/a>. According to Pro Football Focus<\/a>, Elliss re-joining the Saints is one of five underappreciated acquisitions around the NFL from this offseason.<\/p>\n “During his three-year tenure in Atlanta, Elliss performed at a high level but was subject to poor surrounding play, not to mention subpar team results,” wrote PFF’s Bradley Locker. “However, he could be in for a season in which many more become familiar with his game… Elliss\u2019 versatility could add new layers to a unit that punched above its weight class. If Elliss can act as an every-down playmaker in 2026 on a growing defense, it should only help the blossoming Saints make more noise.” | READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Penix named Falcons player with most to prove<\/p>\n With just a few days to go before training camp begins, Penix has been named the one\u00a0Falcons player with the most on the line<\/a>\u00a0in 2026 by The Athletic.<\/p>\n “The Falcons quarterback is halfway through the rookie deal that started when Atlanta shocked most of the league by making him the 2024 draft\u2019s No. 8 pick,” wrote Josh Kendall. “He has 12 starts, four wins, two 300-yard games and a 59.6 percent completion rate in his career. Fair or not, the decision clock on his future is already ticking. So far, Penix has done nothing to justify picking up his fifth-year option, much less offering him a long-term deal. There\u2019s still a lot of optimism in the building that he can, but he\u2019s got to beat out Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job first.” | READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Two Falcons legend make Atlanta’s Mount Rushmore<\/p>\n Bleacher Report has a new list out that names four legends from each major sporting city around the country,\u00a0making up a Mount Rushmore squad<\/a>\u00a0for each city. The list only goes back to the year 2000, and only two Falcons players made the cut. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones took up two of the four Mount Rushmore spots.<\/p>\n “The Falcons found a franchise quarterback when they selected Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, as he threw for 59,735 yards and 367 touchdowns in 14 seasons,” wrote Joel Reuter. “He won MVP in 2016 while leading Atlanta to its second-ever Super Bowl appearance, and had 10 seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards for the Falcons.”<\/p>\n Falcons have committed 2nd-fewest penalties since 2021<\/p>\n Pro Football Focus<\/a>\u00a0broke down the NFL’s most- and least-penalized teams over the last five seasons. Despite the Falcons’ eight-year playoff drought, they have committed the second-fewest penalties of any team in the league since 2021.<\/p>\n “As for the other end of the spectrum, the result is also a mixed bag in terms of team results,” wrote PFF’s\u00a0Bradley Locker. “The Falcons and Colts rank 20th or worse in winning percentage over the last five seasons, failing to make the playoffs at all in that span.” | READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784604801_161_90582488007-usatsi-29208246.jpg\")
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