​When former Washington Huskies star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returns to the field with the Atlanta Falcons, he may have an uphill battle to get his starting job back.As he continues to rehab from a torn ACL he suffered in November, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft hasn’t been able to participate in any 7-on-7 or full team periods of offseason workouts just yet. That has given Tua Tagovailoa, whom Atlanta signed in free agency to compete with Penix for the starting job and be another left-handed option that can run coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense, an opportunity to take all the starting reps.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith all those reps under his belt, some around the NFL believe that the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft may be a slight favorite to win the starting job at this point.”Even though it’s wide open, Tua is kind of the front-runner with an asterisk,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer stated. “Now, when does Michael Penix Jr. become medically cleared? Now, my understanding is there is a chance he could be medically cleared to participate in full at the start of training camp. If that’s the case…that’s a really, really big step for Michael Penix Jr. to really make this as even as possible because that’s really where this stands.”For the majority of the offseason, the messaging from Atlanta’s coaching staff and front office has been that the organization expects Penix to return in time for training camp, when it gets underway in late July.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab,” President of Football Operations Matt Ryan told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I’ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking that, and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington football star in heated battle for starting job