The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Week 1 opponent — the Atlanta Falcons — were the last NFL team to name a starting quarterback this summer. But another change behind center could be coming for the Falcons before the season opener.
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall reported quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have aggravated a lower back injury during practice Thursday.
“Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa appeared to suffer discomfort during individual throwing drills Thursday and briefly went to the ground,” wrote Kendall. “Tagovailoa missed the first week of training camp due to lower back spasms.”
On Monday, Falcons first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski named Tagovailoa the team’s starter. Stefanski also told reporters Michael Penix Jr. would be inactive for the season opener.
If Tagovailoa can’t play because of a back injury, the Falcons will have to turn to Cooper Rush or Jack Strand behind center.
“Rush was the designated backup as of Monday, according to Stefanski, so Strand would back him up,” wrote SI on Falcons’ Garrett Chapman. “Not the start you want to see for the oft-injured Falcons QBs.”
The Steelers will host the Falcons in Week 1 on Sunday, September 13. Kickoff is set for 1 pm ET at Acrisure Stadium.
Will Tua Tagovailoa Start for Falcons vs. Steelers?
SI on Falcons’ Darius Hayes, who also witnessed the incident with Tagovailoa at practice Thursday, described the situation as an “injury scare.”
“During the open portion of practice, Tagovailoa briefly touched his back before sitting down on the grass during individual drills. The veteran quarterback remained on the field, but he did not appear to throw again during the portion of practice available to the media,” wrote Hayes.
“It was unclear what prompted Tagovailoa to sit down or whether he was dealing with any sort of injury. Reporters only have access to a limited portion of Falcons practice, so there was no immediate indication of what Tagovailoa’s workload looked like after the media portion ended.”
It’s too early to say definitively the Steelers will face a different quarterback than Tagovailoa in Week 1. But after Thursday’s Falcons practice, the Steelers clearly should have their eyes on the Atlanta injury report.
Tagovailoa missed the first week of training camp because of back tightness. He also didn’t begin throwing in 7-on-7 drills until late in the preseason.
Those facts add to the intrigue of Thursday’s incident. But they don’t confirm that Tagovailoa has a lingering back concern.
Tagovailoa is in his first season with the Falcons. He signed a 1-year contract in Atlanta for league minimum after the Miami Dolphins released him over the offseason. The Dolphins still owe the quarterback $54 million this season.
Ironically, Tagovailoa’s final game with Miami was in Pittsburgh. The Steelers knocked off the Dolphins 28-15 on Monday Night Football in Week 15. The Dolphins benched Tagovailoa for the remainder of the 2025 season after the loss.
Cooper Rush Set to be Falcons Backup QB in Week 1
With Penix still recovering from his ACL injury from November, the Falcons will be without their top two quarterbacks if Tagovailoa can’t play Sunday.
Pundits expected Penix to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job. But Atlanta was cautious with Penix’s return timeline over the summer, and he didn’t play at all during the preseason. In a way, that made Tagovailoa the team’s starter by default for Week 1.
Rush doesn’t have the same quarterback pedigree, but he has a lot of NFL experience. Although Rush went 0-2 with the Baltimore Ravens last season, he still owns a 9-7 record as an NFL starter. His best campaign was in 2022 when he went 4-1 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Strand is an undrafted rookie who played college football at Minnesota State-Moorhead. He will be making his debut in whatever role he is assigned Sunday.
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