Tua Tagovailoa won’t practice after injury “flared up,” Michael Penix won’t do team drills

The Falcons’ quarterback competition is on hold as the team starts training camp on Wednesday.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Tua Tagovailoa will not practice after an injury “flared up.” Stefanski did not specify the injury, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the quarterback is dealing with back tightness.

Stefanski said the injury is not considered serious and that they expect him back sooner rather than later. The head coach also said that Michael Penix has not been cleared for team drills, so neither of the players who are vying for the starting job in Atlanta are going to be fully participating in practice at this point.

The Falcons released Trevor Siemian with a non-football injury on Wednesday, which leaves undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the only healthy quarterback on the roster. The Falcons are expected to sign former Cowboys and Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush to give them another option at the position as they wait for Tagovailoa and Penix to get the green light for full practice activities.

It’s not an ideal way to kick off camp in Atlanta and the Falcons will be hoping for better news for both quarterbacks before they get too much deeper into their preparations for the 2026 season.