Tagovailoa (oblique) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.
Tagovailoa took part in his first full practice since Sept. 9, after he sustained an oblique injury a day later that kept him from playing in either of the Falcons' first two games of the season. The 28-year-old had been poised to direct the offense in Week 1, but he'll now have to settle for the No. 2 role with Michael Penix (knee) getting cleared to make his 2026 debut as the team's starting quarterback Thursday versus the Packers.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Limited, could back up Penix in Week 3
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Tagovailoa (ankle) was estimated as a limited participant in Monday's walk-through practice, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Earlier Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski told Josh Kendall of The Athletic that Tagovailoa was "getting better" after missing the Falcons' first two games of the season due to the oblique strain. The quarterback appears to have backed up his coach's comments by getting upgraded to a limited listing on the practice report, but Tagovailoa could need to participate fully Tuesday or Wednesday to put himself on a path to play Thursday against the Packers. If he's available for the Week 3 contest, Tagovailoa will be relegated to a backup role after the Falcons named Michael Penix (knee) their starting quarterback, per Tori McElhaney of the team's official site.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Out for Week 2
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Tagovailoa (oblique) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Tagovailoa was listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest and Cooper Rush was already announced as the starter, so it comes as little surprise that Tagovailoa will not suit up. It's unclear if Tagovailoa will miss any further action, but he and the Falcons will have a quick turnaround with the Falcons playing Thursday night in Week 3.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Doubtful for Sunday
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Tagovailoa (oblique) is doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Tagovailoa likely will join Michael Penix (knee) on the sideline this weekend, while head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Cooper Rush as Atlanta's starting quarterback for a second straight week, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. As for Tagovailoa, he hasn't been able to practice since sustaining a strained oblique Sept. 10, and he'll likely need to get back on the field in some capacity in order to put himself in a position to be available for next Thursday's road matchup with the Packers.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Absent from Friday's practice
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Tagovailoa (oblique) isn't present for the start of Friday's practice, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Tagovailoa's continued absence from practice makes him unlikely to play in Sunday's game against Carolina. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't named his starter as of Friday morning, but it seems like either Cooper Rush or Michael Penix (knee) will get the nod, not Tagovailoa.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Sits out Thursday's practice
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Tagovailoa (oblique) wasn't seen at Thursday's practice, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Tagovailoa seems to be trending toward a second consecutive absence to begin his Falcons tenure, though he still has one more opportunity to practice Friday prior to Sunday's game against the Panthers. Michael Penix (knee) and Cooper Rush have been splitting first-team reps. Rush started in the Week 1 loss to the Steelers, but Penix is likely to take over the starting job once he's deemed healthy enough to play.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Ruled out for opener
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Tagovailoa (oblique) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Tagovailoa opened the week getting the call as Atlanta's Week 1 starting quarterback but ended it sidelined due to an oblique injury that he sustained during Thursday's practice. Coach Kevin Stefanski told Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com on Friday that Tagovailoa is "week-to-week," which would seem to suggest multiple DNPs are on the horizon for the QB. In any case, Tagovailoa will join Michael Penix (knee) in street clothes Sunday, while Cooper Rush gets the nod under center and Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com serves as his backup.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Suffers oblique strain
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Tagovailoa (oblique) is considered day-to-day due to the strained oblique that he suffered during Thursday's practice, Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reports.
Tagovailoa went to the ground during individual drills Thursday and then grabbed at his back after getting to his feet. Subsequently, he missed the rest of the session while reserve QB Cooper Rush handled all the reps with the first-team offense. Tagovailoa officially was a limited participant in the Falcons' second practice of Week 1 prep, and the potential now exists for him to join Michael Penix (knee) in street clothes this weekend. The team may make a decision on Tagovailoa's status as soon as Friday's injury report, and if he's ruled out, Rush would be in line to direct Atlanta's offense Sunday at Pittsburgh.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Week 1 status in doubt due to back
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Tagovailoa (back) could cede the Week 1 starting role to Cooper Rush, who took all of the first-team reps with the offense Thursday after Tagovailoa exited early due to a back injury, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Tagovailoa was named Atlanta's starter for Sunday's regular-season opener earlier in the week, but he went down grabbing his back in individual drills Thursday and subsequently sat out the remainder of practice. The Falcons are now preparing to head into Week 1 with the third-stringer Rush under center, as Tua is in danger of joining Michael Penix (knee) on the sidelines. If Tagovailoa is ruled out, Jack Strand would serve as Rush's backup this weekend.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Experiences possible back discomfort
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Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down briefly during individual drills Thursday, then wasn't seen throwing again during the portion of practice open to media, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Raimondi cautions that only a small portion of practice is open to the media, but it's also possible that Tagovailoa was shut down for the remainder of practice after potentially hurting his back. The 28-year-old quarterback was named the starter for Sunday's season opener earlier in the week, as Michael Penix (knee) determined that he isn't ready for game action yet. Tagovailoa's official practice participation will be worth monitoring Thursday and Friday. Cooper Rush and Jack Strand are Atlanta's alternatives under center.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Accurate in preseason finale
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Tagovailoa completed seven of eight passes for 95 yards in Friday's 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins. He also rushed once for no gain and lost a fumble.
Tagovailoa played the first quarter of Atlanta's preseason finale and completed all but one pass, but two of Atlanta's three possessions during that span ended in fumbles. Following an opening-drive Brian Robinson rushing touchdown, Tua fumbled on the first play of the next drive and Robinson fumbled to end Atlanta's third possession. Michael Penix (knee) has gained clearance to participate in 11-on-11 drills, but the 2024 first-round pick has yet to progress to game availability. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to name a Week 1 starter between Penix and Tagovailoa, the latter of whom didn't throw a touchdown pass in two preseason outings.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Starting preseason Week 3
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Coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason game at Miami, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Fellow QB Michael Penix recently was cleared for team drills in practice as he continues to ramp up his activity level following last season's torn ACL. Stefanski relayed that Penix won't play preseason Week 3, which will give Tagovailoa another chance to stake a claim to the Falcons' starting quarterback gig. Stefanski also told Kendall that he'll name a starter "whenever they tell me I have to," so the competition appears to be a toss-up at the moment.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Penix cleared for team drills, setting stage for QB competition
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Tagovailoa's teammate, Michael Penix (knee), is in line to return to 11-on-11 drills in Monday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Penix had been participating in practice since training camp began but hadn't yet been cleared for contact or full-team work. However, coach Kevin Stefanski relayed Saturday that the QB has been given the green light to practice without restrictions. With one preseason game remaining, the Falcons have yet to settle on a starting quarterback, and Penix's looming return to team drills sets the stage for him to have an opportunity to compete with Tagovailoa on equal footing ahead of Week 1. It remains to be seen what the team's plans are for the two signal-callers in Friday's exhibition finale against the Dolphins, and at this stage Stefanski hasn't outlined a timeline for when he'll make a call on his starter for Atlanta's Sept. 13 contest against the Steelers.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Sits out second preseason game
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Tagovailoa didn't play in Saturday's 34-6 preseason win over the Colts.
Cooper Rush and Jack Strand split quarterback duties while Tagovailoa was rested along with Atlanta's other starters. Michael Penix (knee) has yet to be cleared for game action, so it's looking increasingly more likely that Tua will be under center when the Falcons kick off regular-season play Sept. 13 at Pittsburgh. It remains to be seen if Tagovailoa will feature in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Likely to sit out second preseason game
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Tagovailoa is expected to be rested for the Falcons' second preseason game Saturday versus the Colts, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Back on July 31, Stefanski told Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Falcons wouldn't play starters in the second preseason game, with members of the first-team offense and defense instead banking reps in joint practices with the Colts leading up to the exhibition. Stefanski doesn't seem to have deviated from that plan a few weeks later, as he mentioned Cooper Rush and Jack Strand as the possible starting options at quarterback for the matchup with Indianapolis when he spoke to the media Monday. Tagovailoa played two drives Friday in the Falcons' 27-7 loss to the Broncos in the preseason opener, and he's expected to take snaps again in the final exhibition game Friday, Aug. 28 versus the Dolphins. Tagovailoa is currently in pole position to open the regular season as the Falcons' starter under center, as Michael Penix (knee) remains limited to taking part in 7-on-7 drills during practices.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Plays two drives in preseason start
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Tagovailoa completed three of five passes for 22 yards and rushed once for no gain in Friday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Broncos.
All three of Tagovailoa's completions on Atlanta's first two drives went to tight end Kyle Pitts. Tua's performance was nothing to write home about, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he got the starting nod for the preseason opener while Michael Penix (knee) has yet to be cleared for contact drills. Given Tagovailoa's edge in health, the former Dolphins quarterback is the favorite to win Atlanta's quarterback competition ahead of the Falcons' Week 1 road game against the Steelers.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Inside track to Week 1 start, per Fowler
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Tagovailoa has the "inside track" to be named the Falcons' starting quarterback ahead of Week 1, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Helping Tagovailoa's cause so far in training camp has been his accuracy, though Michael Penix's ongoing recovery from the torn ACL he suffered Week 11 of last season has contained him to 7-to-7 drills, at best, in practice. Fowler noted that coach Kevin Stefanski "might wait this out until after the preseason to name a starter," so it appears he'll make Tagovailoa earn the role on his merits. Tagovailoa is slated to start Friday's exhibition against the Broncos, which may help him stake a claim to the eventual No. 1 role.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Starting preseason opener
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Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason opener against Denver, but coach Kevin Stefanski isn't ready to name the Week 1 starter, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Stefanski said Wednesday that the starters will stay in Friday's game for about 10 snaps or one series. For now, Tagovailoa is the starter by default with Michael Penix (knee) not yet cleared for contact or full-team drills. Stefanski is leaving the door open for Penix to earn the starting job, but that seems more likely to happen in-season than ahead of Week 1.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: No timetable to name starter
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Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that the Falcons don't have a timeline to name a starting quarterback for the team's Week 1 game at Pittsburgh, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Tagovailoa seemingly is the leader in the clubhouse to land the gig for the season opener over Michael Penix, who has yet to join in on team drills in training camp due to his ongoing recovery from the torn ACL that ended his season Week 11 last year. While Stefanski wouldn't commit to a Week 1 starter, he added that he'll make a decision on whether or not Tagovailoa will play in Friday's preseason opener against the Broncos by Wednesday.
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Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa: Trending toward Week 1 start
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Tagovailoa (back) is trending toward being the Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Coach Kevin Stefanski has remained mum as it pertains to who will be under center for the Falcons for the season opener against the Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 13. Having said that, Tagovailoa has been far more active at the beginning of training camp than Michael Penix, the latter of whom continues to rehab the torn ACL that ended his campaign in Week 11 in 2025. Tagovailoa himself has been tending to a back injury, but he was able to elevate to 11-on-11 drills Monday and seems well on his way to getting the call from Stafanski ahead of Week 1. Tagovailoa was limited at Tuesday's practice but hopes to work fully Wednesday, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com.
