FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback competition will have to wait another day after coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tua Tagovailoa sustained a minor injury, and he'll be back “sooner rather than later.”
Stefanski described the injury as a “flare-up” and said he doesn’t anticipate a long absence from the former Dolphins quarterback. He said Tagovailoa will be present at training camp but not yet participating.
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The first-year Falcons coach kept the details of Tagovailoa’s injury secret, saying one of the perks of training camp is not having to divulge every detail.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported Wednesday that Tagovailoa is dealing with a tight back.
The Falcons swapped one veteran quarterback for another as a result, releasing veteran Trevor Siemian and adding Cooper Rush. Heading into his ninth year in the league, Rush has appeared in 42 career games and has thrown for 3,766 yards, 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Rush was out throwing alongside Michael Penix Jr. and undrafted rookie Jack Strand at the Falcons' first day of training camp on Wednesday morning.
Rush and Strand are expected to split snaps during 11-on-11s. Penix, who started nine games for Atlanta in 2026 before a season-ending ACL tear, will compete in individual and 7-on-7 drills.
Stefanski is encouraged by Penix's recovery, though he doesn't have a precise timetable for the quarterback's return to 11-on-11 drills.
“I don't know the exact date on when that would happen," Stefanski said. "All along, as you guys can imagine, we have put total trust into Mike, the medical team and the doctor who performed his surgery. So I'm very, very comfortable with where we are and the plan that we have.”
Penix had a slightly more definitive timeline, revealing that four weeks was the most recent benchmark he was given. While recovering from his third ACL tear, the third-year quarterback said he's eager to get back, but he's not taking the process lightly.
“Just trusting the process,” Penix said. “It's more seeing how my body is feeling with these practices. I was told like another four weeks, possibly, going into that next stage. At the same time, it could be earlier."
The Falcons had another nonparticipant in All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who was present but did not take part in drills. Robinson appeared healthy and is widely speculated to be holding in for a contract extension after the Falcons exercised his fifth-year option.
The team did not comment on Robinson’s lack of participation.
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