The Falcons’ quarterback mess is already in full view, but don’t expect the answer to be the undrafted rookie everyone’s buzzing about.
Michael Penix Jr. is supposed to be the starter, though he’s still working back from an injury and isn’t 100% yet. Tua Tagovailoa was set to handle the job, but an oblique injury in practice knocked him out of the picture and pushed Cooper Rush into the lineup.
Rush was dealing with an injury himself, but Atlanta stayed with him anyway. That call backfired.
Rush’s Week 1 outing was rough enough to fuel the inevitable chatter about a change. He finished 12-for-22 for 143 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. After that kind of line, fans and media naturally started looking toward Jack Strand, the beloved undrafted free agent who flashed in the preseason.
But Marc Raimondi of ESPN says the Falcons don’t see Strand as ready for that jump.
"It does not seem like the team thinks undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who played great in the preseason, is ready just yet," Raimondi writes.
That lines up with the kind of role Strand is more likely to get if Atlanta turns to him at all: a late-season cameo once the situation has basically run its course. Starting him in Week 1 or Week 2 would be a huge leap for a rookie who went undrafted, even if the hype around him is real.
And while the Falcons’ current quarterback options are thin, there’s still a big difference between preseason promise and facing a starting NFL defense. That’s the hurdle here. Strand may have looked good in August, but the regular season is a different animal.
If there were a spot where he could at least have a fighting chance, Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers would be it. Carolina just gave up 59 points to the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Even so, the Falcons don’t believe Strand is ready to start yet, and that makes a switch from Rush unlikely unless something else forces their hand.
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Stefanski defended the call after the game, saying Rush was healthy enough to start and that the Falcons never seriously considered turning to rookie Jack Strand. For a first game in charge, the result left Stefanski with more questions than answers, especially after a lineup choice so closely tied to the way the game played out. [Read more 🡒]
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Falcons Opener Raised One Brutal Question Fans Can't Ignore
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Rushs night only sharpened the bigger concern hanging over the opener, as the passing game never fully settled and the Falcons had to scratch for production in the wrong places. Robinsons workload helped keep them afloat, but until the quarterback situation steadies, Atlanta is already facing an early test that could shape how the rest of the season gets judged. [Read more 🡒]