When Tua Tagovailoa takes the field on Sunday it will mark the sixth straight season that the Atlanta Falcons have a different starting quarterback. After Matt Ryan's final season in Atlanta in 2021, the Falcons went with Marcus Mariota, followed by Desmond Ridder, then Kirk Cousins, before Michael Penix Jr. last year.
The one constant in the backfield for the last three seasons has been the best player on the Falcons' roster, superstar running back Bijan Robinson.
Asked about the team's constantly-changing QB situation, Robinson responded that it's his job to make sure that they feel supported, no matter who's sharing the backfield with him, per Josh Kendall at The Athletic.
"I just make sure I am here to support them no matter what," said Robinson.
"My job is to make sure they are supported when I talk to the media so they can feel confident going into it.”
Robinson said he also believes that Atlanta's strong supporting cast will help Tagovailoa get comfortable.
"He has a lot of talent around him, and I think it’s going to make him a lot more confident,” added Robinson. “It’s just him having that trust in us to put the ball in our hands.”
Unless Tagovailoa stuns the NFL world's low expectations of him and establishes himself as the Falcons' franchise QB, we will almost certainly see Michael Penix Jr. on the field again at some point this season.
Should Penix flop as well, then there's a chance we'll see yet another starter emerge later this year in the form of undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who was the team's most impressive QB during the preseason. Some analysts believe that Strand could wind up starting more games than either Penix or Tagovailoa.
If Strand emerges as a legitimate starter it would come as a surprise, but if the Falcons get a true QB1 out of it nobody should complain.
Until then, this will remain Bijan Robinson's team.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Bijan Robinson shares support for Falcons quarterbacks
