Tua Tagovailoa will not practice Wednesday, a midweek loss for the Atlanta Falcons as they work through training camp with their quarterback room already thin. Kevin Stefanski said Tagovailoa is dealing with an unspecified injury, but added that he should not be out long.
“He will be out there sooner rather than later,” Stefanski said, signaling there is no immediate alarm even as the Falcons adjust on the fly. Michael Penix Jr. is also out of team drills while recovering from ACL surgery, and the team is signing Cooper Rush for additional depth.
The timing matters because camp reps are scarce and every snap now carries extra weight. Tagovailoa was brought in during the offseason to compete with Penix, who struggled in his first season as the primary starter in 2025 and finished 3-6 with 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 60.1 completion percentage. The Falcons are also getting ready for their preseason opener on Aug. 14 against the Denver Broncos.
Tagovailoa’s availability has always drawn more attention than most quarterbacks. The 2023 Pro Bowler missed three or more games in every season except 2023, when he set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns and led the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs. He threw for 18,166 yards, 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions across six seasons with the Dolphins, going 44-32 as a starter, and he appeared only in the 2023 postseason edition.
That history is why a simple camp absence can still carry weight. The Falcons are saying the injury is not expected to linger, and Wednesday’s missed practice does not sound like a long-term setback. But with Tagovailoa out, Penix still limited and depth already being added, the next few days will show how quickly the Falcons can get back to a workable quarterback rotation before Aug. 14.
