Tua Tagovailoa was in line to be the Atlanta Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback against on Sunday, but that dream was incredibly short-lived. He went down with an oblique injury during Thursday's practice, didn't participate on Friday, and was quickly ruled out for the season opener in Pittsburgh.
In his absence, Cooper Rush is set to draw the start against the Steelers, which is enough nightmare fuel for one day. It's bad enough to see this QB room already stripped down to brittle bones before the season has even started, but Tagovailoa's poorly-timed injury makes it look even worse for him.
The Falcons signed Tua in hopes of him embarking on a career revival in a better situation in Atlanta, but if he can't stay healthy, this experiment might be over before it begins--and at this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if he never gets an opportunity to start this season because of this bad timing.
Tua Tagovailoa may never play a snap as the Atlanta Falcons' starting QB
The only reason Tua Tagovailoa was named the starting quarterback in the first place was because Michael Penix Jr. wasn't healthy enough to start Week 1. He was coming off of a torn ACL and Kevin Stefanski knew better than to rush him back in a tough road enviornment against a stout Steelers' defense given his injury history.
But it seems that Penix is nearing a return. Both Stefanski and the quarterback himself admitted that he's "real close" to being able to start, and it seems Week 2 or Week 3 is a realistic timetable for his return. So even if Tua is able to play next week, it doesn't appear his grip on the starting job is strong.
And there is evidence to back this up: they never placed the 26-year-old on the short-term IR, it seems that the Falcons feel confident they'll get him back some time within the first four weeks, And once Penix is able to return, the starting job is his. Even if Tagovailoa turns into prime Pat Mahomes.
One of the NFL's worst-kept secrets is that once Michael Penix Jr. is fully healthy, the Dirty Birds are going to ride with him until the wheels fall off. Unless he turns into J.J. McCarthy incarnate, he'll more than likely be QB1 for the remainder of the season--so if he returns next week, there goes Tua's shot.
The nice part about Tua Tagovailoa is that the Falcons aren't investing him in a starter like they are Penix. One's a former top-ten pick and the other they signed for the vet minimum in free agency. Based off that, there is no incentive for them to start Tagovailoa over No. 9 once they're both healthy. One's a one-year rental, the other still has a chance to become Atlanta's long-term franchise QB.
It remains to be seen how severe Tua Tagovailoa's oblique injury truly is, but given he also dealt with a back injury during a struggle-filled training camp, the consequences for his Falcons career have the opportunity to be devastating--and it could end his redemption hopes before they can even start.
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