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.
In Other News...
Steelers Suddenly Face A Mason Rudolph Decision They Didn't Expect
Sam Darnolds hip injury in Seattle has quietly created a ripple effect that reaches all the way to Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are suddenly staring at a quarterback decision they didnt exactly plan for. Darnold was knocked out of the Seahawks season opener and Drew Lock stepped in to help finish off the win, which only sharpened the focus on veteran depth around the league and put a fresh spotlight on Mason Rudolphs place in the Steelers quarterback room.
Pittsburgh is reportedly open to trading Rudolph, and the Seahawks situation could make them a team worth watching if they want a seasoned option behind center. The Steelers currently have four quarterbacks on the roster, and with Seattle dealing with uncertainty under center, Pittsburgh may find itself weighing whether this is the right time to move a veteran or hold tight while the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Reignites Ugly NFL Media Fight On Cam Heywards Podcast
Aaron Rodgers used Cam Heywards podcast to reopen a messy corner of NFL media, taking aim at ESPN for what he viewed as silence around the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel scandal. The issue first surfaced in April 2026 after photographs of Russini and Vrabel set off an internal investigation, and it has continued to linger because of how it rippled through the media world as much as around the league.
Russini ultimately resigned from The Athletic, even as the outlets final report said her professional reporting was unbiased, and there are now indications she could try to return to NFL media. She also plans to speak publicly about the scandal, which keeps the story very much alive and leaves plenty of questions about how the fallout could shape both her comeback and the broader way football coverage handles its own controversies. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Legend Sees One Way Rodgers And McCarthy Change Everything
Jerome Bettis sees a path for the Steelers offense to give the rest of the roster a very different kind of season. With Aaron Rodgers now steering the attack and Mike McCarthy calling plays, Bettis believes Pittsburgh has the pieces to push its scoring into a range that changes how the whole team operates, not just how it finishes drives. The idea is simple enough: if the offense can stay on schedule and produce more consistently, the Steelers are no longer asking the defense to carry quite as much of the load.
That matters in Pittsburgh because a steadier, higher-output offense opens the door for the defense to hunt instead of merely survive. A lead would let T.J. Watt, Joey Porter Jr. and the rest of that group attack more freely, create more pressure and force more turnovers, the kind of ripple effect that can reshape a game plan from the opening quarter on. The Steelers averaged 23.4 points in 2025, so the question is whether this new setup can finally lift that number into the territory Bettis has in mind. [Read more 🡒]