The Atlanta Falcons brought in Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason as a free agent from the Miami Dolphins.
He was supposed to compete for the starting QB job with Michael Penix Jr.
The season is just into Week 4, though, and Tagovailoa is already an afterthought.
Injury already ruined some of his chance, and now it looks unlikely that Tagovailoa will start unless there’s another injury in front of him.
On Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, all Tagovailoa will be able to do is watch, unless something changes.
Why Isn’t Tua Tagovailoa Playing Tonight?
Tua Tagovailoa isn’t playing on Monday Night Football because he isn’t the Falcons’ starting quarterback for Week 4.
The Falcons announced in Week 3 that fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr. would be getting the start against the Packers on Thursday night of that week, and Penix retains the starting job for Week 4.
Penix went 18-for-25 with a TD and an INT in his season debut after recovering from a knee surgery near the end of last season.
As a former No. 8 overall pick, Penix is getting a chance to thrive under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Falcons QB Depth Chart
Tagovailoa is the QB2, the backup behind Penix, in Week 4.
That was the arrangement in Week 3, as well. Neither had been active before that, but now both are active.
The Falcons planned to have two left-handed quarterbacks atop their depth chart, and that’s what they’re doing now that both Penix and Tagovailoa are healthy.
Cooper Rush has been relegated to QB3, and the Falcons also still have undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
Is Tua Hurt?
Tagovailoa first made it back from injury this season for the Falcons in Week 3. He’s now healthy in Week 4
He had been inactive for Weeks 1 and 2, which was unfortunate timing considering that Penix wasn’t ready to play in those weeks.
Tagovailoa headed into Week 1 of this season slated to be the Falcons’ starter on that Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But then on Thursday of the practice week, he went down in pain after making a throw on the practice field.
Tua was eventually diagnosed with an oblique injury, and it forced him to miss both of the first two weeks of the season.
It also might’ve meant that Tagovailoa missed his chance to stake a true claim to the starting job with the Falcons.
Penix looked comfortable in his return and didn’t encounter any adverse impact to his knee.
The backup QB is only one play away from seeing the field, so Tagovailoa could still play this season. He just doesn’t seem likely to do so unless something changes in front of him.
Tagovailoa probably isn’t missing the Dolphins a ton. They’re 0-4 with Malik Willis at QB.
But given that Tua isn’t starting, maybe he’s wishing that somehow things would’ve worked out differently for him.
Why Isn’t Tua Tagovailoa Playing Tonight? Falcons QB Depth Chart Includes 2 Lefties