Tua's Back Flare-Up Is One More Thing Miami Can't Afford Right Now

Tua Tagovailoa was a limited participant in Friday's training camp practice with a back flare-up, and his read on it is that the Falcons are being cautious. That may well be true. But Tua missed three games last season — finishing 14 of 17 — and this offense doesn't have much margin for him to miss more.

The receiver room is already thin. I wrote last week that Hill's "no power" comment was the worst news out of camp; Hill played four games in 2025 and is still not right. Achane is questionable. Caleb Douglas, the third-round pick brought in to add depth, hasn't been full-go either. The backup quarterback situation behind Tua is Malik Willis and Quinn Ewers — fine contingency options, but not the kind of depth that makes a team comfortable absorbing a long absence from its starter.

The back is worth watching specifically because it's the kind of thing that nags. A flare-up in late July can become a limitation in September, and a limitation in September for a quarterback who already missed time last year is a real problem. Miami went 6-4 to close 2025, and Tua was the engine of that run — 20 touchdowns in 14 games. The offense works when he's healthy and available. The question of how often that will be true in 2026 just got a little harder to answer.