Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons Suffer Injury Scare as Steelers Loom

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa provided a moment worth monitoring during Thursday’s practice as the team continues its preparations for the regular season.

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.

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.

The Falcons have not provided an official update on Tagovailoa’s status at this time.

The situation is worth watching, given Tagovailoa’s importance to Atlanta’s plans at quarterback. The Falcons announced earlier this week that Tagovailoa would be made the team’s starter against the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the season, while Michael Penix Jr. is inactive as he continues to recover from ACL surgery.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski informed Tagovailoa and the rest of the quarterback room of the decision Monday.

Atlanta has plenty riding on the veteran quarterback. Tagovailoa is expected to lead an offense designed by Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, with the Falcons hoping the combination can help take the next step offensively.

That makes Thursday’s development something to monitor, particularly with the regular season approaching. However, Tagovailoa missed the first full week of training camp with back tightness and didn't begin to throw a full allotment of passes in 7v7 until two weeks ago.

However, there is no reason at this point to draw conclusions about the severity of what occurred. Tagovailoa’s brief interaction with his back and decision to sit down were visible during the portion of practice open to reporters, but the media did not have access to the remainder of the session.

The next significant update could come when Atlanta releases its official injury report.

We’ll see if Tagovailoa appears on the report and, if he does, what participation designation the Falcons give him. That will offer a clearer picture of whether the team considers the incident something that could affect his practice workload moving forward.

Should Tagovailoa be in doubt for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cooper Rush would be asked to start. Rush was signed as a free agent the day before training camp opened. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand is expected to be the emergency third-quarterback, but even that is no in question.

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