Tua Tagovailoa’s Atlanta Falcons debut will be put on ice.
The quarterback will miss Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an oblique injury, per ESPN‘s Adam Schefter.
Backup Cooper Rush will make the start.
Tagovailoa suffered the injury during Thursday’s practice, immediately grabbing his back after making a throw during an individual drill.
Tagovailoa had dealt with a back injury at the start of training camp.
Tagovailoa, 28, joined Atlanta in the off-season as a free agent on a one-year, $1.3 million deal after being released by the Miami Dolphins. He struggled mightily with both injuries and on-field production last season, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions in 14 games.
Through two pre-season games with the Falcons, the former Alabama standout threw for 117 yards and completed 10 of 13 passes. He was named the Falcons’ starter on Monday after head coach Kevin Stefanski decided that Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from ACL surgery last November, is not yet ready for live-game action.