Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski announced they’ve ruled out QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. from Week 1, per Josh Kendall.
This means Cooper Rush will be set to start the season opener for Atlanta.
Stefanski added that he is unsure when Tagovailoa will be able to return, per Kendall.
Tagovailoa briefly went to the ground during throwing drills on Thursday and was later diagnosed with an oblique injury.
Stefanski confirmed that Tagovailoa’s recent issue is not related to the back injury he dealt with at the start of training camp, via Tori McElhaney.
Reggie Chatman Jr. posted a video on social media of the injury, where Tagovailoa went to the ground for a short moment holding his back before standing on the side for the remaining portion of practice open to the media.
According to Marc Raimondi, Rush took all the first-team reps in practice on Thursday, confirming Tagovailoa didn’t participate in team portions.
Tagovailoa was named the team’s Week 1 starter with Penix still working back to full health after an ACL injury, but reports suggested he could have a “short leash.”
Some have even gone as far as to say Tagovailoa could be let go if he’s benched due to performance in the first few games, but his Week 1 status appears to be up in the air now.
Tagovailoa, 28, was selected with the No. 5 overall pick out of Alabama in 2020 by the Dolphins. He signed a four-year, $30,275,438 rookie contract with a $19,578,501 signing bonus. He earned a base salary of $1,010,000 in the final year of his deal.
The Dolphins picked up Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option worth $23,171,000 for the 2024 season.
From there, the team re-signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $212 million, with $167 million guaranteed. Miami released Tagovailoa this offseason, and he signed a one-year deal with the Falcons.
In 2025, Tagovailoa appeared in 14 games for the Dolphins and completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
Follow NFL Trade Rumors on X.com and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
