ATLANTA — Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of the Atlanta Falcons' Week 1 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an oblique injury, erasing what might have been his only chance to start for his new team this season.
Tagovailoa suffered the injury during the warmup portion of practice on Thursday, suddenly grabbing his side and going to the ground. He was ruled out on Friday. The Falcons had given him the nod to start Week 1 because Michael Penix Jr. has been recovering from ACL surgery and was not ready in time for the opener.
The setback continues a career defined by unfortunate injuries. Tagovailoa suffered a horrific hip injury late in Alabama's 2019 season when he was brought down throwing away a pass and had to be carted off, yet rebounded to become the fifth pick of the NFL Draft. He led the NFL in passing yards and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023 and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024, and signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. He also suffered multiple high-profile concussions, said he considered retirement, and was benched last season before being cut with a $99.2 million dead cap hit, the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history.
Now 28, Tagovailoa joined the Falcons on a one-year, $1.2 million deal and had an opportunity to put positive tape out despite not looking great in training camp or the preseason — he was booed during a preseason start at Miami. With Penix likely to return soon, Tagovailoa needed to take advantage of the Week 1 start, but the routine warmup injury will keep him out at least this week and has even sparked talk the Falcons could release him. By the time he is ready to return, Penix is expected to be the starter.