Falcons QB Tagovailoa injured during practice ahead of opener

With just three days before the season starts, the Atlanta Falcons may find themselves without either of their top two quarterbacks in Week 1. 

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On Thursday, starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa appeared to go down with a back injury during individual throwing drills at practice. The cause of the injury was not clear, but Tagovailoa could be seen clutching his back as he sat on the ground. Tagovailoa was able to jog off the field, but he was unable to return to practice. The Falcons are calling it an oblique injury and have officially provided him with a limited designation.

Third-string quarterback Cooper Rush took all of the first-team reps in Tua’s absence. Rush, 32, signed a one-year deal with Atlanta during the offseason after spending last year as the backup to Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. Before his year with the Ravens, Rush played the first seven years of his career for the Dallas Cowboys. The Falcons also have undrafted rookie Jack Strand on their roster who managed to turn some heads with his preseason performance. 

Both Tua and Rush are taking on the starting role until last year’s starter, Michael Penix Jr., can return from his torn ACL. While Penix has been at practice and is ramping up his activities, it has already been decided by the Falcons that he will not be active for Week 1. If Tua’s injury is severe, it would be interesting to see if Atlanta accelerates Penix’s return to the field.

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Rush spoke to the media following the practice and revealed that he had not been told whether he is expected to start in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was, according to Rush, his first time throwing first-team reps since he was signed by the Falcons. 

The reason Rush is in Atlanta originally was because Tagovailoa had a different back injury at the start of training camp. Rush was signed to solidify the quarterback room and provide some veteran experience as a proven backup for the past eight years. Whether the ball goes to Tua or Rush on Sunday, it is clear that despite having some of the NFL’s best offensive weapons, Atlanta’s quarterback room is still a major work in progress. 

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