As if the Atlanta Falcons already didn’t have it bad enough.
Thursday brought an injury to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that could force former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush into a starting role just days before the Falcons open the regular season.
Atlanta travels to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Week 1.
Rush was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s backup from 2017 to 2024. He is 9-7 in 16 career starts for the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
“Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury in practice Thursday and was listed as a limited participant, according to the team’s official injury report,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “With Tua Tagovailoa hurting his oblique today, Falcons QB Cooper Rush said he took all the first-team reps during the team part of practice.”
Last year’s starter for the Falcons, 2024 1st-round pick Michael Penix Jr., is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 regular season.
“Officially, Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice and was limited,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
Cooper Rush Signed at Start of Training Camp
The Falcons brought Rush in at the start of training camp.
“The Atlanta Falcons have signed veteran QB Cooper Rush ahead of their first training camp practice in about 15 minutes,” Falcons reporter Will McFadden wrote on his official X account on July 29. “The signing comes after this morning’s release of Trevor Siemian and the news that Tua Tagovailoa will miss the start of camp.”
Rush signed a 2-year, $6.2 million contract with the Ravens to back up 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson but went 0-2 after Jackson was injured and was replaced by Tyler Huntley. The Ravens released Rush in March.
Falcons Had Fugazi 2-Way Battle for Starting QB
The Falcons entered training camp with 1 of the NFL’s messiest quarterback situations. Penix was drafted in the 1st round (No. 8 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft and has flamed out spectacularly over the 1st 2 seasons of his career — before the torn ACl.
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, flamed out spectacularly with the Miami Dolphins and was a post-June 1 cut. The Dolphins were so desperate to get rid of Tagovailoa that they incurred a $99.2 million dead cap hit by cutting him — the largest dead cap hit in NFL history.
What many thought would be a quarterback battle in Atlanta didn’t materialize as that — Penix was never healthy enough to play leaving Tagovailoa as the de facto starter.
Ex-Cowboys QB Appears Forced Into Starting Role for Falcons