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Falcons Name Cooper Rush as Week 1 Starter Amid Tagovailoa's Oblique Issue
Confirmed
In Short: The Atlanta Falcons have named backup quarterback Cooper Rush as their Week 1 starter after Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique strain during practice.
Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was named the starting quarterback for Week 1, suffered an oblique strain during practice and is listed as day-to-day, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush is set to start if Tagovailoa cannot play, as Michael Penix Jr. is expected to be inactive following his ACL surgery.
Rush, who was signed in late July to be the emergency option, took every first-team rep in the team portion of practice and is expected to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. His start could lower the passing-game ceiling for Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but Bijan Robinson’s elite workload projection should remain largely intact.
During the open media portion of practice, Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down on the grass briefly during individual drills Thursday. The Falcons will start veteran Rush under center, as coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters following Friday’s practice.
Tagovailoa was added to Thursday’s injury report with an oblique injury and listed as a limited participant, and backup Rush took every first-team rep in the team portion of practice. Barring a quick turnaround, Rush may be the starter when Atlanta visits the Steelers on Sunday.
What's confirmed
- Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was named the starting quarterback for Week 1, suffered an oblique strain during practice and is listed as day-to-day, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush is set to start if Tagovailoa cannot play, as Michael Penix Jr. is expected to be inactive following his ACL surgery.
- Rush, who was signed in late July to be the emergency option, took every first-team rep in the team portion of practice and is expected to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. His start could lower the passing-game ceiling for Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but Bijan Robinson’s elite workload projection should remain largely intact.
- During the open media portion of practice, Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down on the grass briefly during individual drills Thursday. The Falcons will start veteran Rush under center, as coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters following Friday’s practice.
- Tagovailoa was added to Thursday’s injury report with an oblique injury and listed as a limited participant, and backup Rush took every first-team rep in the team portion of practice. Barring a quick turnaround, Rush may be the starter when Atlanta visits the Steelers on Sunday.
What's still developing
- Head coach Kevin Stefanski laid out the depth chart Monday: Tagovailoa starts, Rush backs him up and Michael Penix Jr. is inactive while he continues working back from last November’s knee surgery, per NFL.com.
- That same day, the Falcons released Trevor Siemian with a non-football injury designation and signed Rush, leaving Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand to run the early team periods.
- The Atlanta Falcons spent seven months building a quarterback plan with a fallback, then a fallback to the fallback.
- FLOWERY BRANCH — After a summerlong quarterback competition briefly ended with a starter announcement Monday, the Falcons have been forced to pivot entering their Week 1 bout with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m.
- He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.