Tua Tagovailoa is hoping to make a mark for himself with a new team.
For the first time, he’s on an NFL roster other than the Miami Dolphins. After Miami cut him in the offseason, Tagovailoa signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons are off to an 0-2 start, and Tagovailoa didn’t take part in either game.
Atlanta now gets a national spotlight on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field.
Again, Tagovailoa isn’t expected to play, although he’s closer to seeing the field in this one than he has been so far.
Why Isn’t Tua Tagovailoa Playing?
Tua Tagovailoa isn’t playing on Thursday Night Football because he isn’t the Falcons’ starting quarterback for Week 3.
The Falcons announced on Monday that fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr. would be getting the start against the Packers.
It’ll be Penix’s first appearance of the year as he returns from recovery from a torn ACL surgery.
Falcons’ QB Depth Chart
The Falcons are slated to have Tagovailoa back up Penix for Week 3.
Neither has been active in the first two weeks of the season.
Beyond them are the veteran Cooper Rush and the undrafted D-II rookie Jack Strand, who both had to play while the two left-handed passers were out.
Is Tua Tagovailoa Hurt?
Tagovailoa has actually just returned from injury for the Falcons in Week 3.
He had been inactive for Weeks 1 and 2, but he’s slated to be healthy and active for the Packers game, even though he’ll be just the backup QB.
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.
If Penix looks comfortable and can shake the rust off relatively quickly, Tagovailoa may have to settle for being the backup all year long.
Although to be fair, with the injury histories of these two lefty QBs, they may both have to play before this season is over.
In the meantime, Tagovailoa’s former Dolphins team is off to an 0-2 start. Malik Willis, the new starting QB in Miami, has had a few splash plays but otherwise been rather underwhelming after signing a three-year deal to come aboard from the Packers.
The Dolphins may have struggled just as much this season if Tagovailoa was still there, especially if he was still getting injured. But it hasn’t exactly been the most riveting separation so far, either.
Why Isn’t Tua Tagovailoa Playing Tonight? Ex-Dolphins QB Sits in Falcons’ Depth Chart