Is Tua doomed to fail in Atlanta? Super Bowl champ rips Stefanski's QB record

With Tua Tagovailoa’s arrival in free agency and Michael Penix's improvement last season, there is optimism that Stefanski can lead the Falcons' offense to better things in 2026.

Not everyone is buying into it.

Speaking on Good Morning Football, available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN, former NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Willie Colon torched Stefanski's reputation as a QB whisperer.

“I’ve got to keep it real with you all. I don’t understand the hype and the aura around Kevin Stefanski,” Colon began.

“I know he won the Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023. I just don’t have the faith based upon the body of work as of late, and his management of his most recent team, the Cleveland Browns ... to have any confidence that he’s going to elevate the play of anybody in that quarterback room,” he continued.

Did Stefanski develop any QBs in Cleveland?

Ian Maule / Stringer

It’s a reasonable challenge. Stefanski's final season in Cleveland was a mess at quarterback. Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all took snaps, and none of them truly flourished.

“There’s nothing there that shows that he’s developed anybody,” Colon said.

“Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders. Did we see any elevation of play in any of those guys? No," he continued.

“You shipped Joe Flacco up out of there. Dillon Gabriel didn’t get any better. Shedeur Sanders was what you thought he was going to be in his first year.”

It may be harsh to hold Stefanski to account for a perceived lack of development of two rookies and an ageing veteran, but prior to 2025, the results don’t look much better.

QBs under Stefanski: All-time record

Considering the bitter note on how things ended between Stefanski and Mayfield, arguably the best quarterback on this list, Colon appears to have a point.

However, it must be acknowledged that Stefanski hasn't always been given a fair shake.

Save for Mayfield and Flacco in his younger years, none of those quarterbacks has enjoyed sustained success elsewhere, and Stefanski was tasked with improving a Cleveland side that was already struggling.

The last two campaigns were a struggle, but in five years with the Browns, Stefanski delivered two winning seasons - the first of which was Cleveland's first since 2007. That point must not be overlooked.

Can Stefanski get the best out of Atlanta’s QBs?

Stefanski seems confident in his QB options. “Tua was a good fit for us,” he said at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix.

“He’s looking for a place where he can go and compete for a starting job, and that’s what we are offering to him.

"He wants to do what's best for this football team. We're excited to have him."

Discussing Penix, who is still rehabbing from a partially torn ACL, Stefanski said, "I'm excited for Mike to get back out there."

The enthusiasm runs both ways.

With Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London forming one of the league's most dynamic offensive trios, the foundation is there for Stefanski to help Tua rediscover the form he displayed earlier in his career.

Colon, however, remains unconvinced. “I can’t sit here today and say he’s going to elevate these guys’ play because I just haven’t seen it,” he said.

Time will tell if Stefanski proves him wrong.