Tua Tagovailoa dealing with back issue ahead of Week 1 game
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Tua Tagovailoa was recently named the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback for Week 1. On Thursday, however, he did not take reps with the first-stringers.
During the media viewing period, a reporter observed Tagovailoa go down with an apparent back issue. Cooper Rush, Atlanta’s QB2 with Michael Penix Jr. set to be inactive for Week 1, told reporters that he handled all reps with the first-string offense.
#WATCH: I happened to catch the moment #Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa went down briefly during the open portion of #Falcons practice
— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) September 10, 2026
He stood off to the side for the rest of the period we were able to watch. https://t.co/VyzfRrzond pic.twitter.com/sIO2CtmOkF
Cooper Rush said he took all the reps with the 1s today. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 10, 2026
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The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa is entering Year 7 of his professional career. The former Alabama standout spent the first 6 seasons of his pro career with the Miami Dolphins.
Tagovailoa played in 78 games, making 76 starts for the Dolphins. In his career, he has completed 68% of his passes for 18,166 passing yards, a rate of 7.5 per attempt. He has thrown for 120 touchdowns with 59 interceptions.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2023, Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards that season with 4,624. He was the NFL’s passer rating leader in 2022 (105.5) and posted the top completion percentage in 2024 (72.9%). He is looking to bounce back from a 2025 season that saw him throw 15 interceptions in 14 games, a career high.
The Falcons open the 2026 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
