The Atlanta Falcons have entered quarterback chaos, and it’s only Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.
They’re preparing for the Carolina Panthers, but it’s hard to even say who might be the starting QB for that game, because injuries and depth chart uncertainty are ruling the day in the ATL.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski had his standard Wednesday press conference with reporters, and he was bombarded with questions about the quarterback position. Of course he was, because it’s currently quite messy.
Falcons QB Injury Updates
Stefanski rattled off a bunch of details that were shared on X by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, so the following information is all courtesy of Raimondi’s feed.
Starting with Tua Tagovailoa, Stefanski informed reporters that the lefty quarterback will not be practicing on Wednesday. The head coach also noted that Tua is getting better after hurting his oblique during Thursday practice last week.
Tagovailoa isn’t guaranteed to start even if he is deemed healthy enough to do so, Stefanski said. Obviously, Tua would need to practice on at least Friday and probably Thursday, as well, just to have a chance to start, but it seems the Falcons don’t want to fully commit to that anyway.
Stefanski also provided a Cooper Rush injury update after the veteran played in Week 1 despite dealing with back spasms over the weekend. Rush, per Stefanski, isn’t 100% and is still getting treatment on the ailment. It wasn’t going to limit him at Wednesday’s practice, though.
The head coach went on to add that he thinks Rush will have a better offensive day in Week 2 if he does end up being the starter.
Reporters pushed to get Stefanski to specify if anyone was already ruled out, or who might be getting first-team reps at practice, but the head coach wasn’t biting on that.
They even asked whether Jack Strand, the conceptual QB4 (an undrafted free agent from the D-II level), would be ruled out this week. If Stefanski had affirmed that, it would’ve suggested Michael Penix Jr. was closer to being back on the field. But of course Stefanski gave no such detail about Strand.
So as you might expect from the Falcons’ head coach, there wasn’t a lot of clarity provided. It doesn’t make sense for him to overcommit or to give too much information to the opposing Panthers.
Still, it leaves the whole thing feeling quite chaotic.
A Note About Panthers Points
The Panthers scored 37 points in Week 1, which means the Falcons need their offense firing well to keep up.
But on the flip side, Carolina allowed 59 points to the Chicago Bears, so maybe Atlanta’s offense will have an easier go of it anyway.
It’ll truly be a fascinating matchup to see what the Panthers and Falcons look like against each other as opposed to against strong non-division opponents.
Falcons’ QB Injury Updates a Mess for Week 2 vs. Panthers