Falcons to start third QB as Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. ruled out - USA Today
Tua Tagovailoa's run as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons has already come to an end.
The former Miami Dolphins' signal-caller inked a deal with Atlanta in free agency, figuring it would give him a chance to claim a starting job in the NFL. It worked to a degree, given that he was named QB1 for Week 1. That was until Tagovailoa picked up an injury ahead of the season opener and now it's back to the bench.
Tagovailoa has been ruled out for the Falcons' Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an oblique injury.
Cooper Rush will start in his place. Michael Penix Jr. was already ruled out as continues to recover from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season.
It leaves the Falcons thin in the quarterback room, with only the rookie, Jack Strand, left as the backup.
Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Week 1.
The quarterback suffered an oblique injury during practice on Sept. 10 ahead of the Falcons' season opener and was unable to continue practicing.
Rush ended up taking the first-team reps in place of Tagovailoa, putting him in position to start against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Tagovailoa was entering the season on borrowed time as Atlanta's starter. Penix figures to take over as QB1 at some point during the season, but he is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season. He was cleared for 11-on-11 work in practice late in training camp, meaning he isn't ready for game action yet.
That left the 28-year-old Tagovailoa as the logical option to handle the starting gig for now.
Now it'll be Rush's turn to lead the Falcons. If something happens to him, Strand is the last hope for Kevin Stefanski's team.
It highlights just how dire the situation is for the Falcons, who have appeared to position themselves for an evaluation year before potentially turning the page next offseason.
Unfortunately for Stefanski's team, they won't get any answers from their top two quarterbacks on the field in Week 1.
