Tua Tagovailoa Limited in Practice With Oblique Injury; Cooper Rush Takes First-Team Reps

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice after sustaining an oblique injury during a passing drill.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury during Thursday's practice and was officially listed as a limited participant. According to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Tagovailoa threw a pass during a drill before grabbing his back and sitting on the grass. Although he jogged off the field shortly after, he did not throw another pass during the period of practice open to the media.

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush took all first-team repetitions during the team portion of practice following the incident. Rush, who signed a one-year deal on July 29, noted this was his first time receiving significant reps with the starting offense since joining Atlanta. The veteran has started 16 NFL games over eight seasons, posting a 9-7 career record in those contests. While head coach Kevin Stefanski has not named a starter for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rush stated he would be prepared if called upon.

Tagovailoa was named the starter on Monday after competing with Rush and Michael Penix Jr. during training camp. Penix is currently recovering from a left ACL surgery performed last November and only returned to full practice participation two weeks ago. Tagovailoa joined the Falcons this offseason on a one-year, $1.3 million contract after being released by the Miami Dolphins, a move that resulted in an NFL-record $99.2 million dead cap hit for his former team.