The Falcons kept four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, but they still needed to get creative with their plans at the position for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Cooper Rush is set to start after Tua Tagovailoa was scratched due to an oblique injury he suffered in practice this week. Michael Penix is also inactive as he works back from last year’s torn ACL, which leaves undrafted rookie Jack Strand as Rush’s backup.
The prospect of turning to Strand is a real one after Rush suffered back spasms on Saturday and all the upheaval also has the Falcons with a plan in place for a third emergency option. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that will be wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
Zaccheaus has never thrown a pass in the NFL, but he does have nine rushing attempts. That could come in handy because Schefter adds that he’ll also be third on the depth chart at running back behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson.
If Zaccheaus is seeing time at either of those positions, it probably won’t be a good sign for the Falcons’ chances of opening the season with a win.
Falcons Clips
Cooper Rush has had a wild ride in 2026. The latest chapter comes today, when he starts the Falcons’ Week 1 game in Pittsburgh.
Rush, who has made 16 career starts, went 0-2 last year in Baltimore while replacing Lamar Jackson. The Ravens turned to Tyler Huntley for the remainder of Jackson’s absence due to injury.
After the season, the Ravens released Rush. He found no takers in free agency, culminating in an invitation to participate in the Vikings’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. (He was not offered a spot on the 90-man roster.)
Rush remained available until July 29. The Falcons signed him in advance of the first practice of training camp, after Tua Tagovailoa developed a back problem — and after jettisoning veteran Trevor Siemian.
Now, less than seven weeks after being signed and barely four months after throwing passes for a weekend with wet-behind-the-ears rookies in Minnesota, Rush will be the Falcons’ QB1 for Week 1.
Despite last year’s issues in Baltimore, Rush has a 9-7 record as a starter. A tenth career victory would be among his most memorable, given the journey he has made in 2026.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski says starting quarterback Cooper Rush’s job today is simple: Put the ball in the hands of the Falcons’ playmakers, particularly running back Bijan Robinson.
Stefanski told Sal Paolantonio of ESPN that was his message to Rush, and Stefanski added that he’s personally excited to see Robinson in the flesh for the first time.
“Simple: be yourself. Operate the offense. Get the ball out quickly to your playmakers,” Stefanski said of his message to Rush. “You know, I’ve never seen Bijan Robinson play in a game. I’ve seen him in practice and on film but never live in a game. I’m really excited.”
Although Rush was expected to be behind both Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix on the Falcons’ quarterback depth chart, neither of them is healthy enough to play today, so Rush is the starter and undrafted rookie Jack Strand is the backup.
Today will be Rush’s 17th NFL start, and Stefanski said he’s ready for it.
“He’s a pro’s pro. He knows how to prepare, knows how to operate an offense, he’s been part of good teams and had good coaches,” Stefanski told Paolantonio. “Backup quarterbacks always make good coaches because they have to prepare like the starter and be part psychiatrist for the starter at the same time.”
Rush may be something of a coach on the field — a coach who calls plenty of plays for Robinson.
The Steelers’ outdated approach to contract negotiations is not aging well.
With the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in a financial standoff and the Steelers clinging to their policy of not doing new deals after the regular season begins, no deal will be done until after the season — unless the dam suddenly breaks this morning.
So will Porter play? Despite the ESPN report that it’s “unlikely” Porter will suit up against the Falcons at 1:00 p.m. ET, some within the organization still believe he’ll blink. Regardless of a contract that pays less than $4 million in 2026, Porter is in a contract year. His best play could be to play and to play well, setting the stage for a shot at the open market in 2027 or, worst-case scenario, the franchise tag. (The fact that the tag at the cornerback position lags behind the top pay at the position makes that outcome even less appealing.)
The alternative is to sit, citing a back problem. It’s what Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons likely planned to do in 2025, absent a new contract. Once the Cowboys realized he was committed to not playing, they traded him.
The latest ESPN report explains that the Steelers are open to listening to offers for Porter. Which is a delicate way of acknowledging that, as we’ve heard multiple times, no one has called.
This isn’t some sudden realization that Porter could be available. He conducted a hold-in throughout training camp and the preseason. If anyone was interested in trading for Porter, they would have called by now.
The problem is that the new team would have to give the Steelers what they want for Porter, and to pay him what he’s seeking. The absence of offers to date says plenty about the willingness of other teams to do that.
Which brings us back to Porter’s primary options: Play for $3.924 million and hope to unlock a much better deal in 2027, or launch a Le’Veon Bell-style strategy (but with pay) — sitting out some if not most if not all games and becoming a free agent next year. (Or getting tagged.)
It’s a tough spot for Porter. But there’s one way to look at the glass as half-full. He was the 32nd pick in the 2023 draft, but he wasn’t a first-rounder. He’s not subject to the fifth-year option; for Year 5, he gets (at worst) franchise-tag money. That puts him ahead of where he would have been, if the Dolphins hadn’t lost their 2023 first-round pick and if Porter had been the 32nd name off the board.
Regardless, Porter has to decide whether to take a stand by sitting out, or to grab his helmet and play. It’s a decision that only Porter can make, and he needs to make it within the next couple of hours.
The list of healthy Falcons quarterbacks keeps getting shorter.
The team announced on Saturday that Cooper Rush is dealing with back spasms. Rush was installed as the Week 1 starter after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out with the oblique injury he suffered during Thursday’s practice and the Falcons say he is still expected to play against the Steelers.
Michael Penix has been ruled out as he continues to recover from last season’s torn ACL, so undrafted rookie Jack Strand is the only other available quarterback in Atlanta.
The Falcons also announced that they have elevated linebacker Bralen Trice and tight end Nick Muse from the practice squad. Offensive tackle Cameron Williams was placed on injured reserve to round out Saturday’s roster moves.
The Steelers aren’t sure if Joey Porter Jr. will play against the Falcons on Sunday, so they have added some more help at cornerback.
Doneiko Slaughter has been elevated from the practice squad for Week 1. Slaughter was signed by the Jaguars after going undrafted in 2025 and signed a future contract with the Steelers in January.
Porter is listed as questionable to play due to a back injury that limited him in practice all week. Porter is also looking for a contract extension and the Steelers have a policy that they won’t negotiate after the season is underway, so there are multiple reasons for uncertainty about his Sunday status.
An answer to Porter’s availability will come no later than 90 minutes ahead of kickoff.
The Steelers open their regular season in two days. Once that happens, the team’s outdated policy prevents them from doing new contracts.
And that puts even more pressure on the unsettled contract situation between the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Porter has been limited in practice this week, due to a back injury. He spoke to reporters on Friday, and he was asked if he’ll play in the game.
“I hope so, man,” Porter said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “That’s all I could do is just hope.”
Is he prepared to play?
“Yeah, I think so. . . . I mean, it’s getting better,” Porter said. “I think so. I think it’s trending in the right direction, so I could only be happy about that.”
If he doesn’t play, Porter believes it would be a combination of his back and lack of conditioning.
“I mean, at this point . . . clock’s ticking, so it is what it is at this point,” Porter said. “We’re going to be prepared, where regardless of the situation, we’re going to play ball.”
But he quite possibly won’t play ball if the Steelers don’t play ball soon. As of Wednesday night, his status was up in the air.
If a deal gets done by Sunday, then maybe Porter will play. If there’s no new contract, things could get very interesting. And awkward. And, depending on how hard the Steelers push their CBA rights, possibly ugly.
With Tua Tagovailoa out on Sunday, Cooper Rush is in.
The Falcons signed Rush in July and now he’s set to play after he had just one series with the club’s starters during training camp.
“That’s the life of a backup quarterback,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday, via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. “In an ideal world, would you have liked to have gotten every rep? Of course, that’s a no-brainer, but I do think there are examples of guys who come in with no reps … and you’re expected to compete and hold the standard of the room.
“Cooper has been a backup. He’s been a starter. He knows how to prepare.”
It’s an unexpected start for Rush after Tagovailoa was injured during individual drills on Thursday. While Stefanski said he’s disappointed for Tagovailoa, he’s expecting the QB to “rally behind ‘Coop’ and do everything he can to help Cooper.”
After this weekend, Michael Penix Jr. could become another factor for Atlanta at quarterback. While the 2024 first-round pick is not ready to play this week, he has said that he’s close.
Stefanski did not want to speculate on the matter on Friday.
“Mike will be ready when he’s ready,” Stefanski said. “I trust in this process. I’m not going to get into next week. Like Mike said, he’s getting really, really close to being 100 percent and ready to go.”
Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will now serve as Atlanta’s backup quarterback against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Tua Tagovailoa won’t be starting in his return to Pittsburgh, after all.
Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Sunday’s season opener at Pittsburgh, per multiple reports. He suffered an oblique injury during individual drills at practice on Thursday.
Veteran Cooper Rush will get the start against the Steelers.
Ordinarily, an opposing team welcomes the chance to face QB2. The Steelers, whose performance last December against Tua sparked his benching and eventual release, are possibly disappointed.
If Rush plays well enough to earn a second start in Week 2 vs. the Panthers, and if Michael Penix Jr. still isn’t ready to go, what happens with Tua? There was already a strong possibility he’ll be cut if/when benched. If Rush’s performance allows him to jump a healthy Tua, the Falcons could move on.
And if Rush gets injured on Sunday, undrafted rookie Jack Strand will make his debut. Frankly, he could be the best current option on the depth chart, given the possibility that he has a ceiling that could be reached, with time and reps.
With Tua out, the Steelers have moved from 3.5-point favorites to 6-point favorites.
The chances of Tua Tagovailoa starting at quarterback for the Falcons in Week 1 are looking longer on Friday.
Reporters at the open portion of Falcons practice send word that Tagovailoa is not on the field. Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during practice on Thursday.
That left Cooper Rush to take all of the first-team reps as Atlanta prepared to face the Steelers in their season opener. Rush signed with the team early in training camp while Tagovailoa and Michael Penix were both sidelined by injuries.
Penix has returned to practice, but he has been ruled out for this week as he continues to rebuild strength after last season’s torn ACL. The team has not put a timetable on when Penix will be cleared for game action and Week 2 is not out of the question, so Tagovailoa’s window for making any starts for Atlanta could close if he is not on the field this weekend.
