The Atlanta Falcons entered their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with little room for another quarterback setback. Michael Penix Jr. was already set to miss the game as he continues his recovery from last season’s knee injury, leaving Tua Tagovailoa with a chance to begin his Falcons tenure as the Week 1 starter.
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But that plan came under immediate pressure late in the week. Tagovailoa, who dealt with a separate back issue during training camp, was limited in Thursday’s practice after sustaining an oblique injury and did not participate Friday. The Falcons then delivered their final update on his availability for Sunday’s game.
Per reports, Tagovailoa has been ruled out of the Week 1 game against the Steelers due to his oblique injury. The writing was already on the wall. The Falcons had named Tua Tagovailoa as their Week 1 starter, yes. However, earlier reports from practice this week confirmed that the quarterback was touching his back before sitting down after a throw.
With Tagovailoa unable to continue, Cooper Rush stepped in and took every first-team rep for the remainder of Thursday’s practice. Rush said coaches informed him early in the session that he would be working with the starters, giving him his most extensive work with Atlanta’s first-team offense since arriving during training camp.
“It’s huge. All those reps matter,” Cooper Rush said. “It’s a big advantage for me. If you have to go in there, at least you have some reps.”
He remained to the side for the rest of the practice, per the reporters who were able to watch the Falcons’ practice this week. Tagovailoa joined the Falcons’ roster on a one-year deal ahead of the 2026 season. The quarterback is coming after a disappointing 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins, as the team eventually benched him during the final stretch of the season.
Heading into the offseason program, the Falcons admitted a quarterback competition to decide the QB1 for the season. The injuries, however, dominated most of their offseason. For broader context, Tagovailoa’s oblique injury has become a major complication for the Falcons, considering third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. isn’t healthy enough to start as well.
Penix’s current situation traces back to Atlanta’s Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers last season. The then-second-year quarterback injured his left knee after taking a sack in the third quarter and was unable to return. The Falcons initially placed him on injured reserve while he underwent further evaluation.
A second medical opinion later confirmed that Penix had suffered a partially torn ACL in his left knee, ending his 2025 campaign. Atlanta announced on November 19 that he would undergo season-ending surgery, with Kirk Cousins taking over as the starter for the rest of the season. Penix underwent the procedure in late November and has spent the offseason working his way back toward full strength.
Since then, the young signal-caller is rehabbing and is trying to get back on the field. Earlier, Penix Jr. admitted that while he’s really close to get healthy enough to start, he’s not 100% fit yet.
“I just told him (Kevin Stefanski) I’m not where I want to be right now,” said Penix. “And I want to be able to be 100% so I can help the team win football games. And I’m really close. Really close…I want to be stronger. I want to be able to be out there and give the team 100%.
“And if I don’t feel like I can do that, that’s not fair for this team. That’s not fair for this organization. I want to make sure whenever I am out there, I’m 100%, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I trust my knee and that I trust being able to go out there and help this team win football games.”
However, along with Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. has also been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup against Pittsburgh.
In their absence, the Falcons are all set to start with Cooper Rush. Rush backed up Lamar Jackson last year and started 2 games when Jackson suffered an injury. He finished the season with 303 yards and will now start the Falcons’ season opener.
“I’m not sure what happened, but it’s Thursday practice,” said Rush. “Practice has to go on, and so you’re up next, and that was a good day. It was good to get out there and get some real reps with that group, and we’ll see what happens.”
That said, Kevin Stefanski is entering his first season as the Falcons’ head coach. While he dominated the headlines during the 2025 season because of how he mismanaged the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room, it’s safe to say that the head coach is already off to a poor start to the season, with two of his top quarterbacks now dealing with injuries.