The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback situation somehow found another way to get more complicated less than 24 hours before their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported Saturday that Cooper Rush experienced back spasms, adding another injury concern to a position already without Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. for Sunday’s matchup in Pittsburgh.
Rush is still expected to start, according to Raimondi, but the timing could hardly be worse.
Falcons Get Another Cooper Rush Scare Before Steelers Opener
Atlanta only turned to Rush after Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during Thursday’s practice.
Tagovailoa had been named the Week 1 starter Monday, with Rush as his backup and Penix already scheduled to be inactive while continuing his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered last November.
Then Tagovailoa went down.
He was limited Thursday, did not practice Friday and was officially ruled out, forcing the Falcons to promote Rush into the starting role. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand became the backup.
Rush had already taken every first-team rep after Tagovailoa left Thursday’s practice, giving him at least one full session to prepare with Atlanta’s starters before the latest issue surfaced.
Tagovailoa winning the Week 1 job and calling the opportunity “a blessing” only days before the injury changed Atlanta’s plans.
Now Rush has an issue of his own.
The 32-year-old veteran was signed by Atlanta in late July, in part because Tagovailoa was dealing with back tightness at the beginning of training camp while Penix was still unable to participate fully.
Rush has made 16 career starts and owns a 9-7 record, most of that experience coming with the Dallas Cowboys. He spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens, where he went 0-2 in two starts.
Atlanta’s plan is still for him to make start No. 17 in Pittsburgh.
Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. Already Out of Week 1
The bigger story is how quickly Atlanta got to this point.
The Falcons entered the offseason expecting Tagovailoa and Penix to compete for the job. Penix gradually returned to full practice participation, but he told head coach Kevin Stefanski he was not yet where he wanted to be physically.
Tagovailoa called winning the job “a blessing” Wednesday and said he wanted to prove to himself that he could still play at an elite level.
One day later, he suffered the oblique injury that took him out of Week 1.
Penix practiced fully this week, but Stefanski said Friday there was no consideration given to activating him against Pittsburgh. That leaves Strand as the next quarterback up if Rush’s back becomes a bigger problem.
The rookie went undrafted out of Division II Minnesota State Moorhead and has never taken an NFL regular-season snap.
Stefanski expressed confidence in Rush on Friday, pointing to his experience preparing as a backup throughout his career.
“Cooper has been a backup in this league,” Stefanski said. “He knows how to prepare.”
In the span of five days, the Falcons went from announcing Tagovailoa as QB1 to ruling him out, keeping Penix inactive and learning that its replacement starter is dealing with back spasms.
Plain and simple: this is the reality of the quarterback situation in Atlanta right now.
Falcons’ Week 1 QB Chaos Gets Worse With Cooper Rush News