FLOWERY BRANCH – Kevin Stefanski officially announced that Tua Tagovailoa and several starters will be active for the Atlanta Falcons’ Friday night preseason game with the Denver Broncos. The plan is written “in pencil,” but it will be the first time that the starters have seen action in several years. Under Stefanski, the Falcons are taking a very different approach, and the preseason playing time of starters is just the most recent of these changes. The head coach has also instituted live tackling periods to build calluses for the players ahead of a rough regular season. “It’s callus, but don’t blister,” he explained about his methodology during the summer. “The mindset being, we’re not just going to work for the sake of doing work, or beat guys up for the sake of beating guys up. It’s all with a plan in mind to get the guys ready for a 17-game season, and then more if you earn it. In order to do that, you need to be physically ready for that challenge, and you need to be mentally ready for that challenge.”Atlanta enters the season with several unresolved position battles and a quarterback competition still underway, so this evaluation period is at a premium. They have several prominent players, namely Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and others who may still not play, but also plenty of other question marks. “Preseason football will resemble the closest [thing we have] to regular season football,” Stefanski said. “Schematically, it’s not exactly the same thing, but the fundamentals and techniques don’t change. I think there’s value in getting game reps with your fundamentals and techniques in mind.” Aside from the quarterback, they need answers at right tackle, linebacker, wide receiver, and nickel corner. Stefanski did not specify who would play at these spots, but several players are competing for playing time and will see sufficient action. “We will vary playing time by players,” he said. “So, there are some guys who may get more. Some guys who may get less, but we are just trying to get our guys ready for the season based on what we think they need in these games.”The Falcons will prepare for this matchup, but it will not be a “full game plan.” Stefanski said they will look back at previous preseason games the Broncos have played, just to get a feel for coverages and fronts. “I don't believe in showing a lot in the preseason and doing all sorts of exotic things and whatnot,” Stefanski said. Later explaining “It’s really about us, and for it to be about us, we have to keep it simple and let those guys just play.”As of Wednesday, the expectation is that Tagovailoa and the starters will get a series, or about 10 plays, whichever comes first. Stefanski later clarified that this does not mean that Tagovailoa will be the starter come Week 1, saying the team “will cross that bridge when we get to it.” After that drive, backup quarterback Cooper Rush will rotate in under center, followed by rookie undrafted free agent Jack Strand. Incumbent starter Michael Penix Jr., who has yet to be cleared for team drills, will not be available on Friday. Stefanski said he remains encouraged by Penix's progress, though the quarterback has yet to receive medical clearance for team drills.Penix will travel with the team ahead of their second preseason game with the Indianapolis Colts, but he will again be limited to individual drills and 7-on-7 action. Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us and 30,000 Falcons fans on Facebook and X for the latest news!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow