The Atlanta Falcons have added some interesting new pieces this offseason. Their top draft picks consisted of an undersized slot cornerback and an undersized slot receiver, and they landed an upgrade at right tackle in free agency.
Nothing else the Falcons have one is going to matter if their biggest moves don’t pay off, though. That means signing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and bringing in a new front office regime led by head coach Kevin Stefanski.
On that score, not everybody thinks it will work out. Over at CBS Sports, Jared Dubin has a new ranking of all the new head coach/quarterback combinations around the NFL. The duo of Tagovailoa and Stefanski only came in at No. 8 on his list out of 12.
“Given Michael Penix Jr.’s injury issues, assume Tagovailoa gets the first shot under center. That does not necessarily spark optimism for the Falcons. When Tagovailoa was at his best, he succeeded in a very specific set of circumstances created by Mike McDaniel’s offense. Things are going to be quite different under Stefanski, who is an excellent offensive coach in his own right but perhaps not the best fit for Tagovailoa’s skill set.”
For context, that’s one spot ahead of Malik Willis and Jeff Hafley of the Miami Dolphins, who are projected to have the worst record in the league this season by ESPN. It’s one spot below Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which might very well blow up in their faces by Week 7 given how things went between them last time in Green Bay.
Then again, this is all speculation and it’s very difficult to accurately predict how a previously unseen QB dynamic will go. At the bottom of the list is Deshaun Watson and Todd Monken in Cleveland, and while it would come as a surprise Watson has at least shown in the past that he has elite potential. At the top of the list is the only one we already are familiar with: Josh Allen and former Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady, who’s now their head coach.
Those two should do well in Buffalo but it’s impossible to say this early how it will go with the other 11. If Tagovailoa winds up being a good fit with Stefanski, there’s more than enough talent around him to field a top-10 offense.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Tua Tagovailoa, Kevin Stefanski ranked 8 out of 12 new QB/HC combos
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