The Atlanta Falcons expected to have one of the more competitive quarterback battles heading into their training camp this offseason. Instead, Tua Tagovailoa will watch from the sidelines as the team begins ramping up football activities this week.
Tagovailoa was expected to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting QB position this summer. But he now seems to be dealing with what the team is referring to as a “flare up” of an undisclosed injury. The Falcons refused to comment on the nature of the injury, thought new head coach Kevin Stefanski did tell reporters that he expects the former Dolphin to return to practice “sooner rather than later”.
Adam Schefter previously reported that Tagovailoa was dealing with “back tightness” which could be the cause of the flare up. However, with Penix Jr. continuing to recover from knee surgery, and Trevor Siemian having been released earlier this week due to a non-football injury designation, the Falcons QB room is suddenly barren.
Undrafted rookie free agent Jack Strand is suddenly the team’s defacto number 1 quarterback, with the club also signing veteran backup Cooper Rush to a deal to add depth to the position as well.
“This is the NFL,” Stefanski said. “You can’t predict what’s coming.”
With Strand and Rush leading the team’s offence, and no firm timetable on when Penix Jr. will be medically cleared to resume practicing, Falcons fans will be hoping that Tagovailoa’s setback is just a temporary one. Otherwise, the Falcons offence could struggle out of the gates as they learn a new system, and will be devoid of the necessary reps to get on the same page with each other.
After preseason games against the Broncos, Colts, and Dolphins, Atlanta will open the season against the Steelers, followed by the Panthers and Packers. Each of those teams made the playoffs last season, meaning that the Falcons will need to hit the ground running if they hope to avoid digging themselves an early season hole to start the 2026 NFL campaign.
Photo: United States Army photograph by Christopher Hennen. This file is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.