The Atlanta Falcons were the last team in the NFL to name their starting quarterback, but now, things are in limbo all over again. Shortly after naming Tua Tagovailoa the starting quarterback for Week 1, things are now trending in a different direction.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush took the first-team reps during Friday’s practice, but that does not necessarily mean he will start the first week of the season, nor does it mean he will be the team’s long-term starter at any point in time.
Could it be Jack Strand instead? Here’s what to know.
NFL Executive, Others Predict Jack Strand Stands Chance At Becoming Falcons Starting QB
One anonymous NFL executive sees more than a light possibility that Strand will land the starting job by Week 1.
“The Falcons won their final four games last season to finish 8-9. It feels like they’ve lost four straight entering 2026, mostly because the quarterback situation remains a big concern. It might be the (Jack) Strand kid who winds up with that job,” an anonymous NFL exec told Mike Sando of the New York Times.
As the saying goes, having multiple quarterbacks is almost worse than having no quarterback at all. And for the Falcons, it goes even further considering the team is carrying four quarterbacks, when many teams do not even carry three. That leaves the Falcons with quite the interesting situation.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke to that.
“I love a good story, and we’ve got this non-traditional arrangement in Atlanta, where Matt Ryan, who was working for CBS last year… wouldn’t it be some if (the Atlanta Falcons) shock everyone and go with Jack Strand, and just say, ‘I see something in this kid’?” Florio said.
Florio questioned how Strand didn’t end up at a bigger program than he did in the age of NIL.
“How is he at Minnesota-Moorehead for all four years? He didn’t want to go.”
Florio did say he believed it would take a lot of guts from Ryan to initiate the move for Strand to start, but did note that Strand was the most talked-about Falcons quarterback of the preseason, which hardly anyone would have reasonably expected.
Beyond these two accounts from the anonymous NFL executive and Florio, much of social media has also called for Strand to get the first go at QB1.
Falcons Quarterback Situation Remains Murky After Tua Tagovailoa Suffers Oblique Injury
It is anyone’s guess when it comes to who will be the starter (or get the most snaps as the starter, at this rate) for the Falcons in 2026. Throughout training camp and ahead of the preseason, many were convinced that Tagovailoa was the best option for the Falcons at quarterback.
And it made sense. Tagovailoa’s passing ability and fit with the offense seemed far better than Penix’s. On top of that, even though both players share an extensive injury history, one could argue Tagovailoa had the leg up there as well.
Now, things have gotten way more complicated than anyone could have foreseen.
The Falcons are taking the cautious route with Penix in light of injury, and with the injury during practice to Tagovailoa, it seems it will almost certainly come down between Rush and Strand.
Rush may have the jump in terms of experience, but Strand has the preseason favor after he went 24-for-36 for 305 yards and a touchdown while also carrying the ball for 29 yards and two additional scores.
Kickoff between the Falcons and the Steelers is set for 1 p.m. ET at Heinz Field on Sept. 13.
Falcons QB Shock: Could Jack Strand Start Week 1 vs. Steelers?