Falcons forced to sign emergency QB after Tua Tagovailoa injury scare sees nightmare start to training camp

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The Atlanta Falcons have kicked off their training camp and are already dealing with another injury to one of their quarterbacks.With Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of 2025, new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s update on Tua Tagovailoa‘s health is not the ideal start to 2026.Tua will not participate in the Falcons training camp activities on WednesdayGetty“Tua is dealing with an injury right now. It’s not long term. He’ll be out there sooner than later,” Stefanski said Wednesday.Stefanski wouldn’t go into the specifics of the injury, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported it was back tightness that has sidelined him for now.“Something flared up. He will be back shortly,” Stefanski added.For the first day of training camp, Atlanta will turn to undrafted rookie Jack Strand to fill in as QB1.Tua and Penix are both injury prone QBsGettySchefter also revealed that the Falcons are signing veteran quarterback Cooper Rush for additional depth to the roster.After spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Rush played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2025. He appeared in four games last year, including two starts, throwing for 303 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.This is a developing story and is being updated.For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.