A brief scare surfaced around Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday, and it came at a time when the Atlanta Falcons can’t afford many surprises at quarterback.
During the open portion of practice in Flowery Branch, Tagovailoa reached toward his back and then sat down on the grass while individual drills were underway. He stayed on the field afterward, but he did not appear to throw again during the stretch of practice available to reporters.
From there, the picture got murky. Because media access only covers a limited window of Falcons practice, there was no way to tell what Tagovailoa did once the doors closed. The team also had not issued any official update on his status by the end of the session.
The timing is what makes this worth watching. Earlier this week, Atlanta announced that Tagovailoa would start against the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the season, with Michael Penix Jr. inactive as he continues to recover from ACL surgery. Head coach Kevin Stefanski delivered that quarterback decision to Tagovailoa and the rest of the room on Monday.
The Falcons are banking on the veteran to steer an offense built by Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, with hopes that the setup can push the group forward. That’s why Thursday’s moment stood out, especially with the regular season closing in.
There is also a recent health note here. Tagovailoa missed the first full week of training camp because of back tightness, and he only started throwing a full allotment of passes in 7v7 two weeks ago.
Still, there’s no basis yet for drawing a hard conclusion about what happened Thursday. All anyone could see was the brief touch to his back and the decision to sit down; the rest of practice was out of view.
The clearest update may come with Atlanta’s injury report. That will show whether Tagovailoa is listed and, if so, what participation designation the Falcons attach to him.
If Tagovailoa were to be in doubt for Sunday’s game against the Steelers, Cooper Rush would be the next man up. Rush was signed as a free agent the day before training camp opened. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand is expected to be the emergency third quarterback.
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Falcons Suddenly Have A Tua Concern They Cant Ignore
A brief scare at practice put Tua Tagovailoa back in the spotlight for the Falcons on Wednesday, as the newly named starter appeared to feel discomfort and went to the ground during the session. The issue seemed tied to the back trouble he dealt with earlier in training camp, and he did not throw again during the media portion of practice.
For Atlanta, the timing is what makes it worth watching. Tagovailoa only recently won the starting job, with Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand behind him on the depth chart, so any interruption in his workload immediately raises the stakes for a team trying to settle its quarterback picture. His status is expected to be clarified in the next injury report, but for now the Falcons are left waiting to see how serious this latest concern might be. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Week 1 Plan Suddenly Rests On A New Quarterback Decision
Cooper Rush did not arrive in Atlanta long ago, but he is already in the middle of the Falcons most important early-season conversation. Signed in late July, Rush took first-team reps in practice after Tua Tagovailoa was slowed by an oblique injury, a development that immediately put the quarterback picture for Week 1 into focus. With a new offense being installed under coordinator Tommy Rees, every snap matters even more as the Falcons try to get the operation steady before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rush has been part of that process in a way the coaching staff clearly values, drawing praise for his consistency and communication during practice. If Tagovailoa cannot go, Rush is prepared to handle the opening assignment, which would turn a late-summer roster move into a far bigger early-season responsibility. For a team trying to settle into a new system, the next few practices will say plenty about how quickly the Falcons can get comfortable under center. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Opener Just Got A Big Joey Porter Jr. Wrinkle
The Falcons Week 1 prep has picked up an extra layer of uncertainty with Joey Porter Jr. still working his way back from a back issue. Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy would not say whether the cornerback needs to complete a full practice before being cleared for the matchup in Atlanta, and Porter has only been able to work in a limited capacity while he remains in a ramp-up stage.
There is also the longer-term backdrop of Porters contract situation, which remains open with the Steelers but is not close to being resolved. Pittsburgh has a policy of not negotiating extensions once the regular season starts, so the focus for now is on how quickly Porter can build up to game readiness before the opener, even if the timetable is still not fully clear. [Read more 🡒]