The Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. at the quarterback spot, ultimately naming the former Dolphin as the starting quarterback ahead of Atlanta’s Week 1 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But with Tagovailoa suffering an oblique injury during practice on Thursday, it may be Cooper Rush starting against the Steelers on Sunday.
Tagovailoa suffered the injury during practice Thursday, and was captured going down to the ground for a moment before getting back to his feet. Reggie Chatman Jr., who covers the Falcons for 11 Alive in Atlanta, captured that moment:
On Friday, Tagovailoa was not spotted during the media portion of practice, and Rush ran with the first-team offense.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is set to meet the media later today, and may provide an update at that time. As for Penix, the team already indicated he would be inactive as he continues to recover from last season’s knee injury.
Update: Stefanski just announced that Tagovailoa will be inactive Sunday against Pittsburgh.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Tua Tagovailoa injury: Falcons QB inactive for Week 1 with oblique injury was first posted on September 12, 2026 at 3:02 am.
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