​The Atlanta Falcons have wrapped up their final practice ahead of this Friday’s preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team will play its starters, but that doesn’t include Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons will instead be cautious with Penix, which leaves Tua Tagovailoa as the QB1 for the exhibition finale.In today’s Falcons Wire Recap, Stefanski lays out his preseason plan, Tagovailoa prepares to face his former team, Penix aims to be ready for Week 1, fans roast Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and we look at our final 53-man roster projection as training camp winds down.Falcons name Tua Tagovailoa starter vs. DolphinsThe 2026 NFL preseason is winding down but the Falcons’ quarterback competition seems to be far from over. With that said, Tua Tagovailoa will get the start against the Dolphins on Friday. Stefanski didn’t specify how much the starters would play but said it would vary by player.Tagovailoa, who spent his first six NFL seasons with the Dolphins (2020-2025), returns to Miami hoping to pull ahead in Atlanta’s QB competition. The former top-five pick passed for 18,166 yards, 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions in 78 games for the Dolphins but was released during the offseason. He didn’t play well in the preseason opener, but Friday is a huge opportunity for Tagovailoa. Falcons to start QB Tua Tagovailoa vs. Dolphins on Friday night📸 Brett Davis, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/LUDLGeO6wLpic.twitter.com/zJnT8aS7MU— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) August 26, 2026Penix feels he’ll be ready to go Week 1With Penix out Friday, he won’t have much time to get his feet wet before the regular season opener. However, the third-year quarterback said he feels confident even though he won’t play against the Dolphins. Penix said he feels like he’ll be ready for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per team reporter Tori McElhaney. We’ll have to wait and see, but we wouldn’t bet against the resilient Penix, who just overcame his third career ACL injury. “I felt good. I felt confident.” Michael Penix Jr. said he is getting better every day, getting the rhythm where he wants it to be. “Not playing this week, with only three practice under my belt,” but said he feels like he’ll be ready for Week 1.— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 26, 2026Falcons 53-man roster: 3 UDFAs make our final projection The Falcons don’t have much longer before the NFL’s roster deadline. Each team must trim its roster from 90 to 53 players by Sunday evening. In our final 53-man projection, we have three undrafted free agents, including QB Jack Strand and WR Vinny Anthony sneaking in.While veteran Cooper Rush played well in the second preseason game and has the experience advantage, we feel Strand’s upside is too high for the team to risk losing on waivers. The former MSU-Moorhead quarterback lit up the Colts for 212 passing yards and a touchdown on just 12 completions for a passer