Tua Tagovailoa injury leaves Falcons adding Cooper Rush
Tua Tagovailoa is out with an undisclosed flare-up, and ESPN says Atlanta is adding Cooper Rush with Michael Penix Jr. also sidelined.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The Tua Tagovailoa injury watch hit the Atlanta Falcons on the first day of training camp, with coach Kevin Stefanski saying Wednesday that the quarterback is sidelined by what the team views as a flare-up of an undisclosed issue.
The Falcons did not identify the injury, according to ESPN. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Tagovailoa is dealing with back tightness, and that the issue is not considered serious.
Atlanta’s quarterback room thinned out quickly. With Tagovailoa unavailable and Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared for full team work, sources told Schefter the Falcons are signing veteran Cooper Rush.
What is Tua Tagovailoa's injury?
Stefanski described Tagovailoa’s situation only as a flare-up, and the Falcons did not give a body part or diagnosis. ESPN reported, citing sources, that the former Miami Dolphins quarterback has a tight back and is expected to return next week.
Stefanski said Tagovailoa will not practice Wednesday, though he indicated he does not expect a long absence. The coach said he believes Tagovailoa will be back “sooner rather than later,” according to ESPN.
The shortage got sharper earlier Wednesday when Atlanta released Trevor Siemian with a non-football injury designation. ESPN reported the team had expected Siemian to serve as its third-string quarterback this season.
That left undrafted rookie free agent Jack Strand as the only Falcons quarterback fully cleared to practice, according to ESPN. Strand played at Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead.
Penix, Atlanta’s Week 1 starter last season, remains on the way back from right ACL surgery he had last November, ESPN reported. He took part in individual drills and 7-on-7 work during the spring, but he has not been cleared for 11-on-11 team sessions.
Stefanski said Wednesday that he does not know when Penix will be ready for that next step. He said the coaching staff will rely on the team’s medical staff in making that decision, according to ESPN.
Why are the Falcons signing Cooper Rush?
Rush gives Atlanta another experienced arm at a moment when the available list at quarterback has been stripped down. Sources told Schefter the Falcons are bringing him in to shore up a position group hit by injuries and absences.
Rush, 32, spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN. He appeared in four games last season with the Baltimore Ravens.
The scramble was unusual enough that Stefanski was asked about former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who is now the team’s president of football. Stefanski joked that Ryan would not take snaps Wednesday despite the lack of healthy quarterbacks.
“This is the NFL,” Stefanski said, according to ESPN. “You can’t predict what’s coming.”
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.