Tua Tagovailoa is supposed to start in Pittsburgh on Sunday to begin his career with the Atlanta Falcons.
They’re visiting the Steelers, and Tagovailoa was named the Falcons’ starter for the occasion in what would be his first NFL game played for a team other than the Miami Dolphins.
One problem: Tagovailoa doesn’t appear to be fully healthy.
And if Tua is dealing with an injury, things could get tricky in a hurry for Atlanta.
Tua Tagovailoa Injury Update
It appears Tagovailoa is dealing with a back problem based on updates coming out of Falcons practice on Thursday, with the season opener on Sunday.
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall first shared this update on X:
“Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa appeared to suffer discomfort during individual throwing drills Thursday and briefly went to the ground. Tagovailoa missed the first week of training camp due to lower back spasms.”
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi provided this context, as well:
“During the open media portion of practice, #Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down on the grass briefly during individual drills Thursday. It was unclear exactly what had happened. He didn’t seem to throw again after, but media only gets to watch a small portion of practice.”
There will be two opportunities for fans to get more information when the Falcons release an injury report on Thursday and again on Friday. There will also be Falcons media members asking questions to whoever can answer them ahead of Sunday.
Atlanta will likely try to play mum on this, but it could be tough to keep under wraps if Tagovailoa’s status is truly in doubt.
Who Is Falcons’ Backup QB?
The Falcons’ backup quarterback for Week 1 is slated to be Cooper Rush.
Yes, that’s Rush the long-time Cowboys backup. He opened last season as Lamar Jackson’s backup in Baltimore but struggled when forced into action and was relegated further down their depth chart behind Tyler Huntley.
Rush wasn’t supposed to be Atlanta’s backup this season, but other injuries have already changed up the depth chart.
Michael Penix is working his way back from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season, and the Falcons decided he wasn’t quite up to speed enough to start or be QB2 in Week 1.
Eventually, Penix could be the starter, even if Tagovailoa is healthy, so Rush wouldn’t necessarily have a long run at the helm even if Tua is forced to miss time.
The Falcons also have exciting undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who is a lot less familiar to people but could also play a role if Atlanta decides to take a bold swing at the QB position sometime this season.
For now, Falcons fans will hold their breath. Atlanta has offensive weapons galore with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. They just need a quarterback healthy enough with enough basic talent to get those guys the football.
Tua Tagovailoa Injury Surprise Raises Backup QB Question for Falcons