How Tua Tagovailoa has reacted to losing Falcons' starting job without playing

Tua Tagovailoa was set to serve as the Atlanta Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback until he suffered an oblique injury ahead of Atlanta's season opener. 

Following back-to-back losses, 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. will now be the Falcons' QB1 for this week's "Thursday Night Football" game against the 1-1 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, first-year Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed how Tagovailoa has handled losing the starting job without taking a regular-season in-game snap. 

Tua Tagovailoa has been "awesome" amid demotion

"Awesome teammate," Stefanski said about Tagovailoa, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "He’s working very, very hard to get himself back healthy, and he’s doing really well there. But just ultra supportive. Great person to have around the building." 

Fair or not, the perception exists that Tagovailoa truly lost the Atlanta QB1 gig after he left much to be desired with his performances during training-camp practices and preseason games. Meanwhile, backup Cooper Rush filled in when both Tagovailoa and Penix were working to return to full fitness. Rush ended Week 2 responsible for a league-worst 5.2 adjusted QBR.

The Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa era may not yet be over

Tagovailoa is one of the handful of quarterbacks some have linked with the New York Giants ever since it was learned that New York starter Jaxson Dart may miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo have since confirmed that Dart is expected to have season-ending knee surgery. 

One would think the Falcons would want to keep Tagovailoa healthy for a potential trade, but it sounds like he could serve as Atlanta's primary backup against Green Bay.

"He’s trending in the right direction," Stefanski said about Tagovailoa being the Falcons' Week 3 QB2. 

Penix has a worrisome injury history going back to his college days, so it's possible Stefanski and Co. are worried about his health beyond Thursday's contest. Truth be told, Stefanski may need both Penix and Tagovailoa to take meaningful snaps before Week 18 wraps up.