Cooper Rush named Atlanta Falcons' Week 1 starter as Tua Tagovailoa ruled out with oblique injury
Quarterback continuity at Atlanta was already under pressure when Tua Tagovailoa, named the Falcons' starter less than a week ago, was ruled out of Sunday's opener in Pittsburgh with an oblique injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has designated Tagovailoa week-to-week and confirmed Cooper Rush will serve as QB1 against the Steelers, with Michael Penix Jr. also unavailable.
Key takeaways
- The Atlanta Falcons named Cooper Rush their Week 1 starting quarterback for Sunday's opener in Pittsburgh after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury.
- Head coach Kevin Stefanski designated Tagovailoa week-to-week, with backup Michael Penix Jr. also unavailable for the game against the Steelers.
- Tagovailoa's oblique injury is separate from the tight back he arrived at training camp with, which had already cost him about a week of practices.
- Cooper Rush brings 42 regular-season appearances over eight NFL seasons, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys and most recently the Baltimore Ravens last season.
- Atlanta has now named six different Week 1 starting quarterbacks in six years.
Quarterback continuity at Atlanta was already under pressure when Tua Tagovailoa, named the Falcons' starter less than a week ago, was ruled out of Sunday's opener in Pittsburgh with an oblique injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has designated Tagovailoa week-to-week and confirmed Cooper Rush will serve as QB1 against the Steelers, with Michael Penix Jr. also unavailable.
Stefanski told reporters the oblique issue is separate from the tight back Tagovailoa arrived at training camp with, which had already cost him about a week of practices. The Falcons signed Rush after that camp absence first raised questions about depth at the position, and Rush now carries the full starter's load into a road game at Pittsburgh with no established fallback behind him.
Rush arrives with 42 regular-season appearances over eight NFL seasons, seven of them with the Dallas Cowboys and the most recent a stint with the Baltimore Ravens last season. Atlanta has now named six different Week 1 starting quarterbacks in six years, a stretch that puts this week's disruption inside a broader, recurring pattern at the roster's most load-bearing position.
Penix, the Falcons' 2024 first-round pick, started nine of Atlanta's first 10 games last season before tearing his ACL in a Week 11 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. He has since been medically cleared but told reporters he wants to feel closer to full strength before returning, saying he told Stefanski directly: "I'm not where I want to be right now. I want to be able to be 100 percent so I can help this team win football games. And I'm really close."
Rounding out the depth chart behind Rush is Jack Strand, an undrafted free agent from Minnesota State Moorhead who closed the preseason with 306 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
What to watch: Stefanski's next availability report ahead of Week 2 is the next scheduled read on when Tagovailoa's week-to-week designation could lift.
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Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on September 11, 2026. Source: foxnews.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.