FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – It seemed pretty apparent when Tua Tagovailoa met with the media as, ahem, the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, that he was not taking the status for granted.
Someone asked Tagovailoa whether Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski indicated when naming him the starter on Monday that it was a week-to-week assignment with Michael Penix Jr. still on the mend from his latest torn ACL. Like it was Tua’s job until further notice?
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“He didn’t say any of that,” Tagovailoa replied. “How I’m taking it, I’ve got to go with this day to day.”
That was Wednesday, when the Falcons ramped up their preparations for the season opener at Pittsburgh.
Day to day. Tagovailoa could not have said it any better.
On Thursday, Tagovailoa went down in practice with what the team described as an oblique injury that suddenly put his status for Week 1 in some kind of jeopardy. One of the ace reporters on the scene for Atlanta’s 11 Live, Reggie Chatman Jr., captured the mishap on video during the short window early in practice when media is allowed to watch – Tagovailoa appeared to reach for the right side of his lower back as he stumbled to the turf – and posted it on X.
Although Tagovailoa popped up quickly and jogged off after briefly sitting on the turf, No. 3 quarterback Cooper Rush later told reporters that he took all of the first-team reps during the practice. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, was added to the injury report.
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Day to day. And TBD.
New start for Tua Tagovailoa off to slow start
What a tough deal – still – for Tagovailoa, 28, as he tries to revive his career after flaming out with the Dolphins. So far, it’s been a Bad Luck Schleprock experience with the Falcons. He started training camp by missing the first week while nursing a back injury. He opened a rather uninspiring preseason by fumbling his first shotgun snap.
He won the “starting” job but it was clearly by default as Penix wasn’t cleared to fully participate in practice until the final days of August. And now with Penix, drafted eighth overall by the Falcons in 2024, still not ready for game action the Falcons need a backup plan for the backup.
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Day to day.
If Tagovailoa can’t go Sunday it creates an intriguing subplot: Rush, facing the new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, who was his coach for four seasons and 14 starts with the Dallas Cowboys.
If Tagovailoa makes it to the lineup the plot includes his return to Pittsburgh – where he made his last start in December with the Dolphins.
“His last visit to Pittsburgh didn’t go well. I was in the building that day,” Mike Tomlin, the former Steelers coach, said during the pregame show for the NFL’s kickoff game on Wednesday night, in his new role as NBC analyst.
Tagovailoa was benched during the loss at Pittsburgh, and it was essentially the last straw for his Dolphins tenure as Miami released the quarterback – despite owing him more than $54 million in 2026, according to Spotrac.com, with a $56.3 million salary cap hit from a 4-year, $212 million extension signed in 2024.
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Day to day. At least this approach pays for Tagovailoa, trying to resurrect his career after becoming a shell of the player he was when he led the league in passing yards under then-Miami coach Mike McDaniel.
Falcons quarterback depth chart
The Falcons hoped Tagovailoa would be a bargain-basement alternative (1 year, $1.215 million) while Penix worked his way back. And if Tagovailoa somehow managed to keep Penix on the bench because of stellar play, the Falcons new brain trust – Stefanski is aligned with GM Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan – would have looked all the wiser.
Now it seems a bit smart on their part to have Rush, a ninth-year vet, in tow. And who knows? Rookie Jack Strand, a developmental project, might factor in this, too. After all, Strand, an undrafted free agent from Minnesota State-Moorhead, actually opened camp taking the first-team reps because the other QBs were on the mend.
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Then again, Ryan, 41, might be a better option (just kidding, I think) than any of the Falcons quarterbacks at the moment. Hey, he’s younger than the quarterback who will line up for the Steelers on Sunday – Aaron Rodgers – and throughout the offseason Ryan was seen on the practice field throwing passes to receivers in warmup drills.
He can still sling it.
Ryan, the former NFL MVP quarterback and franchise legend, has had quite the task learning the ropes as Arthur Blank’s hand-picked chief of football matters. He watches film, attends meetings and digs into personnel and operational strategy. And he’s been active on the practice field, supporting Stefanski and his staff.
Earlier this year, asked about his presence at practice, Ryan told me, “That’s the most normal part of the job. Out on the practice field. That’s where I feel comfortable.”
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Yet given how this has flowed so far, it’s an odd coincidence that the game’s most important position – and the one that Ryan excelled at for so long – is the position needs delicate handling for the Falcons.
When will Michael Penix Jr. return from injury?
Penix’s return can’t come soon enough. But even that thought comes with caution.
Before Stefanski announced the decision to start Tagovailoa, Penix, already declared inactive for Week 1, told his coach that he needs more healing time.
“I want to be stronger,” Penix, 26, told reporters on Monday, after the plan to start Tagovailoa was revealed. “I want to be out there and give the team 100%. If I don’t feel I can do that, that’s not fair to this team, not fair to this organization. I want to make sure when I’m out there, I’m 100% and there’s no doubt in my mind. I trust the knee and trust than I can go out there and win football games.”
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Certainly, Penix has perspective on this matter – and more experience in coming back from injuries he would prefer. Each of his four seasons in college ended early because of injuries, including two torn ACLs in his right knee. Then, after taking over the job from Kirk Cousins last season, he missed the final eight games after suffering what was reportedly a partially-torn ACL in his left knee.
Penix thinks he’s “really close” to returning but didn’t indicate whether that means he’ll be back in a matter of days or weeks. Mentally, he insists, he’s not sweating it. He knows better than to rush the process.
“It’s not tough, because I’ve been in this position before and I’ve been in the position where I did rush back and I didn’t feel confident and I didn’t play good and it didn’t look good. I know when I do step on that football field, I want to be 100% for this team.”
That’s a plan that beats the alternative of day to day.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tua Tagovailoa is a backup plan in need of a backup plan for Falcons | Opinion
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