Tagovailoa out with undisclosed ‘flare up’

Tua threw passes off to the side during individual reps but did not participate in team drills. He missed Wednesday’s session entirely with a “tight back,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Head coach Kevin Stefanski described it as a “flare up” but didn’t get into the specifics. A limited practice today is a step in the right direction, especially with Michael Penix still sidelined. Tua remains the heavy favorite for the starting job in Week 1. Undrafted rookie QB Jack Strand took reps with the first-team offense in Tagovailoa’s stead.

Recovering his his 2025 knee injury, Penix was seen Wednesday practicing in seven-on-seven drills but told local media that it would be another “another four weeks, probably, before going to the next stage.” Penix added “it could be earlier.” “It really just depends on how my body is going throughout this whole camp process,” he said. It sounds like Penix won’t be available for Week 1, and could miss the season’s first few games, depending on how he progresses through the final stages of his ACL rehab process. That leaves Tua Tagovailoa, who is sidelined with a back injury, as the presumed Week 1 starter for Atlanta. Cooper Rush, who signed with the team on Wednesday, would likely be the emergency starter if both Tagovailoa and Penix are out. It’s a potentially catastrophic situation for Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and the rest of the Atlanta pass catchers.

In his Falcons summer mailbag article, Kendall was asked to give his opinion on who he believes will start the season opener for the Falcons. While he was quick to say “I sincerely don’t know,” before pointing out Tagovailoa and Michael Penix are engaged in “a legitimate competition,” Kendall said he ultimately believes Tagovailoa will be the Week 1 starter. While some of this hinges on the health of Penix’s knee, Kendall also added that head coach Kevin Stefanski values accuracy, which he believes will give Tagovailoa the inside edge. It’s a hard point to argue against, as Penix has completed just 59.6 percent of his passes for his career, while Tagovailoa, in his worst season, completed 64.1 percent of his passes. Kendall said he believes we will ultimately see both quarterbacks play this season, due in part to Tagovailoa’s health but also because the Falcons need to get a look at what Penix, a former No. 8 overall pick, can offer the franchise long term as he enters his third season. The health of Penix could go a long way in deciding this QB competition, but this is likely to be a messy QB situation for much of the season, regardless of who is under center. Fantasy managers drafting in 2QB/Superflex leagues should likely look to Tagovailoa if they’re in need of a second starter early in the season.

The “we’ll see” from Stefanski yesterday wound up being “no.” In other words, Falcons mandatory minicamp will be the Tua Tagovailoa show. Penix is a more realistic candidate to be ready to go in training camp. However, ceding these reps to Tagovailoa will probably put the veteran quarterback in the lead of their upcoming battle heading into camp. It feels likely that both quarterbacks will get a shot at some point, barring Tagovailoa turning back the clock a few years.

Penix participated in the Falcons’ OTAs last month and was splitting first-team reps with Tua Tagovailoa, but the third-year quarterback has not yet been cleared for 11-on-11 sessions. With the Falcons starting minicamp this week, we’ll soon have an answer on whether or not he’ll be cleared or be forced to wait until training camp to try and return to the field. Penix is nearly seven months removed from surgery to repair the partially torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of last season, so it wouldn’t be surprising doctors said it was too early for him to return for 11-on-11’s. If he’s unable to go, Tagovailoa would get all of the reps with the first team offense, which could position him well ahead of the QB battle that’s expected to take place in training camp if Penix is healthy.

Stefanski went on to explain that he believes accuracy is “the most important trait at the position,” after referring to Tagovailoa’s accuracy as being “God-given.” Stefanski then quickly added that “all” of the Falcons quarterbacks have this innate trait, but it was easy to see that his focus was on the former Dolphins quarterback. Tagovailoa’s downfield passing showed signs of decline last season, but he has evidently earned a public compliment from his new head coach. The battle for the Falcons’ starting job between Tagovailoa and QB Michael Penix continues.

“It’s all very intentional,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters when asked about the team’s quarterback rotation in offseason practices. Penix, coming off knee surgery this offseason, is participating in individual drills and seven on seven drills for now. When he’s ready, Penix is expected to split first-team snaps with Tagovailoa, by far the more accurate of the two Atlanta QBs. Falcons president of football operations Matt Ryan said in early May that he was unsure if Penix would be fully healthy to start training camp in late July. Stefanski has said the team will not “rush” Penix back under center. Tagovailoa, who ranks sixth in EPA per drop back over the past three NFL seasons, would seem to be the odds-on favorite to start the regular season as Atlanta’s starter.

Penix is nearly six months removed from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season. The team was uncertain of his status heading into camp, but the good news for Penix is that he “is participating in Phase 2 of the Falcons’ offseason program”, a team spokesperson told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Per NFL rules, this means Penix can participate in “individual and group instruction and drills but not a full-fledged practice with 11-on-11s or 7-on-7s.” The 26-year-old has now suffered three torn ACLs over his college and pro career and may be competing with Tua Tagovailoa for the Falcons’ starting job. Participation in parts of the Falcons’ offseason program is a good sign for Penix while he ramps back up to full health.

The Falcons continue to talk like a team expecting to be without Penix at the start of training camp, while holding out some hope that anything could change those expectations. Ryan is the latest dance around the topic, while back in March, head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team was “not gonna rush him” back to the field, and before that, it was reported that the team expects to be healthy “at some point in training camp.” For what it’s worth, Ryan did say he thinks Penix is “in a good spot right now,” but that can mean one of many things. Until he returns, Tua Tagovailoa is expected to operate as the QB1 and will likely have the inside edge to start in Week 1, the longer Penix remains out of commission.

Given the nature of Penix’s injury, its timing (Week 11), and his lengthy history of significant lower-body injuries, the decision not to rush him back is probably a good one. Stefanski, who is now with his second team and still in search of an answer at quarterback at either of his stops, went out and added Tua Tagovailoa to his quarterback room this offseason. Tagovailoa figures to have the inside edge on being named the Week 1 starter due to Penix’s injury, but barring a spectacular development in which Tagovailoa cements himself as the unquestioned QB1 on the team, we would still expect to see Penix on the field at some point in 2026 when healthy. Penix is only four months removed from his surgery for a torn ACL, which can take anywhere from six to 12 months to come back from. He could be a candidate to open camp on the PUP list depending on how the next few months go.