The Atlanta Falcons have been in dire straits at the quarterback position through the first couple days of training camp. With both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa nursing injuries, the Falcons were forced to turn to Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand for most of their reps in 11-on-11.
Thankfully, the injury woes are starting to clear up. Penix is still a ways away from being cleared for full contact, but Tagovailoa is back to being a full go. After missing the first practice of training camp due to a flare-up in his back, Tua took his biggest step in his recovery in the Falcons' first padded practice of the summer.
To this point, the 28-year-old had yet to take any 11-on-11 reps, but ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported that the veteran signal-caller returned to a full workload in Monday morning's practice. Finally, Tua took part in 11-on-11 and is at full speed in practice for the first time since mandatory minicamp.
Tua Tagovailoa is back to participating in 11-on-11s at Falcons practice
To be fair, he did reveal late last week that his limited workload was precautionary, while Kevin Stefanski said he would be back out there "sooner rather than later". That meant the next day, but easing him in during Week 1 before the pads came on was a fantastic decision from this new staff.
As you would expect, Tagovailoa was working with the first-team offense during the team period--which is crucial given the longer-than-expected timetable from Michael Penix Jr. You want to see your top weapons get reps and build a rapport with their possible starter rather than rely on Rush or Strand for too long.
The Dirty Birds knew Tua Tagovailoa had a history of injuries whey signed him to a minimum contract in free agency, but the bigger concern was the past concussions. However, it's nice to know that this injury scare was truly nothing to worry about and he still has plenty of time to get full team reps.
Now that Penix is still sidelined while Tua is a full go, we already know how this "QB battle" will end up. It's painfully obvious by now that the former Pro Bowler is in line to be the Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is mostly just confirming the inevitable under center.
The Falcons are expecting a career renaissance from Tua Tagovailoa given the change of scenery, and now training camp is giving fans something to be excited about. Seeing him take the field for the first time during 11-on-11s should only confirm he's the perfect passer to step in while Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering.
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