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Falcons

Veteran QB Cooper Rush will serve as the Falcons’ QB2 in the season opener. Speaking on Monday with the media, Stefanski declined to put a timeline on when Penix could be ready to take the field, instead saying he is “very confident in the plan” they have for the 26-year-old QB. Earlier, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Falcons wanted to give Penix “a couple more weeks” to prepare for the season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we are a few weeks away from him dressing for game days.

Penix was cleared to participate in 11-on-11s back on August 22 and hasn’t logged much practice in camp. As a result, Tua Tagovailoa has been named the starter for the Falcons to kick off Week 1 against the Steelers, buying Penix some additional time to get practice reps and get his knee right before being put in game situations. Rapoport said the Falcons hope to give Penix “a couple more weeks” before playing him, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw Tua under center for the first few games of the season before the Falcons consider a switch at the position. Tagovailoa struggled in camp and throughout the preseason and is expected to be on a short leash once Penix is ready to go.

Despite an up-and-down training camp, Tagovailoa will get the nod as the starter when the Falcons kick off the season on Sunday against the Steelers. Given the fact that Michael Penix Jr. (knee) was still limited at the start of camp, Tagovailoa had long been assumed to have the inside edge on the QB1 job at the start of camp, but Penix was still given a shot to compete for the job despite not being cleared for 11-on-11 practice until August 22. Tagovailoa shouldn’t be counted on in standard 1QB leagues at this point, and fantasy managers looking to add him in 2QB and superflex leagues shouldn’t view him as a long-term solution. It would not be at all surprising if we saw both Tagovailoa and Penix start multiple games for the Falcons this season, with rookie UDFA Jack Stand also being a dark horse to see snaps at some point in the season after an impressive training camp and preseason.

Fowler notes that the official depth chart will be set on Wednesday, so the decision could be delayed by two days. Regardless, media members will surely ask coach Kevin Stefanski about it during Monday’s media session. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe previously reported that the Falcons plan to start QB Michael Penix (knee) “eventually.” That said, QB Tua Tagovailoa could start a game or two early on.

Kareem spent the last two seasons as a Falcons backup, totaling eight tackles and nine quarterback pressures. He will now fly to Australia ahead of the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the Rams.

Wolfe added that head coach Kevin Stefanski does not want “an imaginary timeline” for Penix (knee) returning; the Falcons want to see him practice more and avoid rushing him back. The next week of practices will show if he is ready or if Tua Tagovailoa will be the “placeholder” for Week 1. Tagovailoa’s struggles seem to have made it a foregone conclusion that Penix will start when ready this season as the Falcons evaluate whether or not they will need to draft a quarterback in 2027.

It appears to be careful language in describing how the team is approaching its iffy QB situation ahead of the season opener against the Steelers. Rookie QB Jack Strand, who played well in his preseason appearances, had taken some first-team reps over the past month with Michael Penix (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa struggling with injuries and plagued by poor play. It’s unclear whether Penix will be 100 percent ready for the season opener, while Tagovailoa has been shockingly bad in training camp and during the preseason. Strand is a decent bench stash in deeper superflex formats for now.

Thanks, we hate it. [Brian] Robinson has “shown a physical style in practice that cements his role as the new Tyler Allgeier” per Kendall. We don’t think one isolated report should dissuade anyone from picking Bijan Robinson 1.1 in drafts, but it has the potential to be a headache if it comes to pass. It must be said that only the Falcons could create a scenario where a Robinson scores and nobody knows whether to be upset or happy until we get a clarification on which one.

Goodson made an impact as part of the Falcons’ running back room in the preseason but ultimately Brian Robinson Jr. will keep the backup job. Also waived/released by the Falcons were CB Darnay Holmes, DT Eric Johnson II, TE Nick Muse, OLB Azeez Ojulari, DE Cam Sample, LB Channing Tindall, DT Marlon Tuipulotu, OL Brandon Walton, DL Chris Williams, LB Josh Woods, DT Carlos Allen, WR Vinny Anthony, OL James Brockermeyer, CB Cobee Bryant, RB Nate Carter, OL Kam Dewberry, WR Dylan Drummond, RB Cash Jones, OL Riley Mahlman, WR Keelan Marion, DT Devonnsha Maxwell, OT Wanya Morris, LB Daveren Rayner, OL Jaeden Roberts, TE Joshua Simon, DB Keidron Smith, OL Andrew Stueber, LB Bralen Trice, TE Jack Velling, WR Antwane Wells Jr., and CB A.J. Woods.

Carter signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last season, appearing in seven games for Atlanta. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards and lost a fumble in 2025. With the emergence of Tyler Goodson as a viable depth option in the running back room, the Falcons jettison Carter heading into final cuts.