Falcons Clips
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 Once that happens, the team’s outdated policy prevents them from doing new contracts.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.
The Steelers have only one player on their injury report, but it is a big name. Joey Porter Jr. was limited for a second consecutive day, and coach Mike McCarthy isn’t giving away anything about the cornerback’s availability for Sunday.
“The plan for Joey today is still working through the ramp-up stage, based on what he accomplished yesterday,” McCarthy said, via Alan Saunders of steelersnow.com. “ I understand the interest of who’s going to play and who’s not going to play, but I think clearly that’s something that I’m not going to get into for the competition of the game.”
Porter is listed with a back injury, but he is also seeking a long-term extension before the start of the season.
Porter has not committed to playing without an agreement, and the Steelers have a team policy not to negotiate once the season starts. He missed all of training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list before passing a physical and being added to the roster when the limit moved from 90 to 53.
Porter is due to make $3.924 million in 2026 and wants a deal commensurate with those of Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez.
The nature of the injury that Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered during Thursday’s practice has been revealed.
The team added Tagovailoa to their injury report with an oblique injury. Tagovailoa was listed as limited after getting hurt in the open portion of practice and Cooper Rush told reporters that he got all of the first-team work during the session.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier this week that the team’s plan is for Tagovailoa to start against the Steelers with Rush as the backup. Friday will bring word if that remains the case or if Rush is now set to start against his former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy in McCarthy’s Pittsburgh debut.
Michael Penix (knee) remained a full participant in practice, but Stefanski said he will be inactive this weekend. Jack Strand is also on the 53-man roster in Atlanta.
Cornerback Billy Bowman (Achilles), wide receiver Zachariah Branch (hamstring), linebacker Kendal Daniels (Achilles), defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus (groin), and defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand (knee) were limited participants. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee) and defensive end Za’Darius Smith (shoulder) did not participate in practice. Offensive lineman Kyle Hinton (knee) was a full participant.
The Falcons’ plan to start Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback against the Steelers on Sunday may have changed on Thursday.
Reporters at the open portion of practice shared that Tagovailoa appeared to hurt his back at one point and that he did not throw any more passes before the team closed the session to outside eyes. It doesn’t sound like he did much work over the rest of the session either.
Cooper Rush told reporters that he took all of the first-team reps during practice. Rush was set to be the backup against Pittsburgh as Michael Penix is going to be inactive for the opening game of the season.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is scheduled to speak to reporters on Friday and he could deliver the news that Tagovailoa’s run as the starter in Atlanta is over before it even started.
Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have suffered an injury during Thursday’s practice.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Tagovailoa appeared to suffer some back discomfort during individual drills and briefly went down to sit on the grass. While it was unclear exactly what happened, he did not appear to throw again during the portion of practice open to media.
Tagovailoa dealt with a back injury during training camp that kept him sidelined for the first week.
The Falcons’ injury report is due out later on Thursday, but it may indicate only that Tagovailoa was limited in his participation.
While 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. has been medically cleared, he’s set to be inactive for Week 1 as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL suffered last season. Cooper Rush is currently the team’s backup, with undrafted rookie Jack Strand also on the roster after impressing during the preseason.
