Falcons evaluating ‘all’ QB options

The oblique injury Tua suffered on Thursday will be enough to sideline him for the season opener. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tagovailoa will be week-to-week with the injury, so his status will be one to monitor when next week’s injury report is released. An up-and-down offseason for the 28-year-old quarterback that started with a back injury and an underwhelming training camp has now snowballed into him missing Week 1 after he was handed the start in large because Michael Penix (knee) wasn’t deemed ready to go just yet. Given the circumstances that led to him being named the starter, it’s safe to say Tua was already on a short leash entering the season. If Penix is able to go in Week 2 against the Panthers, it’s possible Tua’s 2026 debut will be further delayed regardless of his health.

Tua wasn’t spotted during the portion of practice open to the media, so it’s possible he takes the field later in the day. That said, his absence from practice on Friday wouldn’t bode well for his Week 1 availability after he popped up on Thursday’s injury report with an oblique issue. Veteran Cooper Rush took all first-team snaps for the Falcons on Thursday and would be in line to start on Sunday if Tua is unable to go. We should have an updated injury report soon, which will lay out Tagovailoa’s availability heading into the weekend.

Tagovailoa was seen grabbing at his back before removing himself from team drills earlier today. It turns out he is dealing with an oblique issue. The media viewing session ended before the Falcons began team drills, so it was unclear whether he rejoined his teammates. Backup QB Cooper Rush later told reporters that he took all first-team reps thereafter. Tagovailoa is now firmly in the questionable column for Week 1.

Tagovailoa reportedly “missed the first week of training camp due to lower back spasms.” Perhaps they are still an issue. Tagovailoa grabbed at his back before sitting down. After returning to his feet, he walked off the field and watched his teammates practice for the rest of the media’s viewing period. Tagovailoa is slated to start in Week 1 against the Steelers, though he is only a low-end QB2. The team named QB Cooper Rush as the primary backup in front of QB Jack Strand.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski has already said Penix will be inactive this week, so this does not alter Penix’s game status. That said, it is still good to see him practicing fully. The Falcons are rolling with QB Tua Tagovailoa to begin the year, but his starting stint may not last long.

Veteran QB Cooper Rush will serve as the Falcons’ QB2 in the season opener. Speaking on Monday with the media, Stefanski declined to put a timeline on when Penix could be ready to take the field, instead saying he is “very confident in the plan” they have for the 26-year-old QB. Earlier, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Falcons wanted to give Penix “a couple more weeks” to prepare for the season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we are a few weeks away from him dressing for game days.

Penix was cleared to participate in 11-on-11s back on August 22 and hasn’t logged much practice in camp. As a result, Tua Tagovailoa has been named the starter for the Falcons to kick off Week 1 against the Steelers, buying Penix some additional time to get practice reps and get his knee right before being put in game situations. Rapoport said the Falcons hope to give Penix “a couple more weeks” before playing him, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw Tua under center for the first few games of the season before the Falcons consider a switch at the position. Tagovailoa struggled in camp and throughout the preseason and is expected to be on a short leash once Penix is ready to go.

Despite an up-and-down training camp, Tagovailoa will get the nod as the starter when the Falcons kick off the season on Sunday against the Steelers. Given the fact that Michael Penix Jr. (knee) was still limited at the start of camp, Tagovailoa had long been assumed to have the inside edge on the QB1 job at the start of camp, but Penix was still given a shot to compete for the job despite not being cleared for 11-on-11 practice until August 22. Tagovailoa shouldn’t be counted on in standard 1QB leagues at this point, and fantasy managers looking to add him in 2QB and superflex leagues shouldn’t view him as a long-term solution. It would not be at all surprising if we saw both Tagovailoa and Penix start multiple games for the Falcons this season, with rookie UDFA Jack Stand also being a dark horse to see snaps at some point in the season after an impressive training camp and preseason.

Fowler notes that the official depth chart will be set on Wednesday, so the decision could be delayed by two days. Regardless, media members will surely ask coach Kevin Stefanski about it during Monday’s media session. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe previously reported that the Falcons plan to start QB Michael Penix (knee) “eventually.” That said, QB Tua Tagovailoa could start a game or two early on.

Wolfe added that head coach Kevin Stefanski does not want “an imaginary timeline” for Penix (knee) returning; the Falcons want to see him practice more and avoid rushing him back. The next week of practices will show if he is ready or if Tua Tagovailoa will be the “placeholder” for Week 1. Tagovailoa’s struggles seem to have made it a foregone conclusion that Penix will start when ready this season as the Falcons evaluate whether or not they will need to draft a quarterback in 2027.