Tua Tagovailoa has another back scare at practice three days before Falcons' opener

The back trouble that cost Tua Tagovailoa the start of training camp showed up again Thursday, when the Falcons' Week 1 starter grabbed at his back and sat down on the grass during individual drills in front of

Footage captured by Reggie Chatman of Atlanta's 11 Alive showing Tagovailoa reaching for his back following a pass — and then getting back to his feet and jogging it off, which is the encouraging half of the picture.

The area is not a new one for the Falcons. Tagovailoa was sidelined by a back injury that kept him out of the opening days of camp this summer and had to be eased back into team periods, so his workload has been managed at points all summer.

Atlanta has already committed to Tagovailoa as its Week 1 quarterback for Sunday's 1 p.m. game at Pittsburgh, in a stadium where his final start with the Dolphins ended with him on the bench. Michael Penix Jr. is still working back from last season's knee injury, leaving Cooper Rush as the backup, so the depth behind Tagovailoa is thinner than the top of the depth chart suggests.

The club has not issued an update or a designation for Tagovailoa since practice ended Thursday, and at this stage there is nothing beyond what reporters saw on the field. If he is on the practice report when Atlanta files it, that becomes the next real data point.