Rush Steps In as Falcons Starter After Tagovailoa Injury
Cooper Rush will start at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 after Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined by an oblique injury, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday afternoon. Jack Strand will serve as the backup for Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tagovailoa appeared to sustain the injury during Thursday's practice, according to video from the session that captured the moment he may have first felt discomfort. ESPN reported he is considered week-to-week. Atlanta signed Tagovailoa to a one-year contract in March after his release from the Miami Dolphins, betting on the 2023 Pro Bowler to stabilize the position. In his most recent season, he started 14 games, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing 67.7% of his passes for an 88.5 passer rating. biathlon betting
Rush, 32, brings 16 career NFL starts into the assignment, most recently making two appearances for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He previously started 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys across three seasons - one in 2021, five in 2022 and eight in 2024. The Falcons' original plan at quarterback has already been complicated: rookie Michael Penix Jr. remains out as he recovers from a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 11 last season and will not be active to begin the year.
With both Penix and now Tagovailoa unavailable, Rush inherits full control of Atlanta's offense to open the season. The Falcons face the Steelers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, a game that will offer the first real look at how the team functions under its third different starting quarterback plan in a matter of months.
