The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for their Week 1 clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and all eyes are on Tua Tagovailoa, who has been named the team’s starter to begin the year. While Michael Penix Jr. could conceivably force his way onto the field once he gets healthy, Tagovailoa has earned the first crack at the starting job.
There are quite a few red flags surrounding Tagovailoa that the Falcons will have to be wary of, one of which is his propensity for getting injured. That issue popped up at practice on Thursday, as Tagovailoa appeared to suffer an injury during the open media portion of the session. After the action wrapped up, Atlanta announced an official update on Tagovailoa’s status.
Tua Tagovailoa Dealing With Oblique Injury Ahead of Week 1
The Falcons brought Tagovailoa in this offseason to compete with Penix for the starting quarterback gig. With Penix recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, though, Tagovailoa virtually won the job by default. Atlanta waited as long as it could to give Penix a shot at being ready for the start of the season, but for now, Tagovailoa is the guy who has been tasked with running the offense.
Nobody really knows what to expect from Tagovailoa now that he is with a new team. He was a Pro Bowler in 2023, but over the past two seasons, he played so poorly that the Miami Dolphins were willing to absorb a $99.2 million dead cap hit just to no longer have him on their roster.
The first step for Tagovailoa involves staying healthy, but that is already proving to be an issue after he appeared to pick up an injury at practice on Thursday. Sure enough, the fears surrounding Tagovailoa’s health were warranted, as he has popped up on the team’s injury report with an oblique injury.
Officially, Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice and was limited,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X.
All Eyes Are on Tua Tagovailoa’s Injury Status
Tagovailoa obviously isn’t an ideal starter to begin the year, but with Penix still not fully healthy, he’s the best option they’ve got. With just a couple of days to go until kickoff, Atlanta suddenly finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Tagovailoa’s injury situation, as it needs to find out quickly whether or not he is going to be ready to play on Sunday.
If Tagovailoa can’t play, Cooper Rush would be set to take over under center, with Jack Strand operating as an extra layer of depth behind him. It will be worth keeping an eye out for Tagovailoa’s status at practice on Friday, as that could provide a better indication as to whether or not he has a shot at playing vs. the Steelers.
Falcons Announce Tua Tagovailoa Update After Practice Injury Scare