Kevin Stefanski thought he was getting a clean slate in Atlanta. Instead, he walked straight into another quarterback mess.
After being fired by the Browns last January following six seasons in Cleveland, Stefanski was hired by the Falcons and handed the kind of reset coaches dream about. But two games into the season, the most familiar problem in football has followed him again: no reliable answer under center.
Atlanta has spent years trying to solve that spot, and the search has only gotten messier. Since Matt Ryan left in 2022, the Falcons have been stuck in their own version of quarterback limbo. They’ve had multiple chances to reset the position, but the results keep circling back to the same place.
The team spent three straight years with a top-10 draft pick from 2021 through ’23, yet never landed the quarterback prospect at the top of the board. Instead, Atlanta came away with Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson. Those picks have all worked out, but the missing piece has been the guy who can actually feed them the ball.
The Falcons tried a different route in 2024. First came Kirk Cousins on a four-year, $180 million deal in free agency.
Then, a little over a month later, they used the No. 8 pick on Michael Penix Jr. That move drew plenty of attention then, and it hasn’t exactly aged well.
Cousins was benched and later released less than two years after arriving, while Penix still hasn’t shown he’s the long-term answer after suffering a torn ACL midway through his second season.
That left Stefanski with a quarterback situation he knew was unsettled, but maybe not this unsettled. With Penix unavailable to open the year and Tua Tagovailoa dealing with a back injury in the days before the season began, the Falcons have been forced to turn to Cooper Rush.
The early returns have been rough. Rush has gone 22-of-39 for 229 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions through two games.
Against the Panthers on Sunday, he threw two picks before being replaced by Jack Strand, the undrafted rookie who had become a preseason favorite. Strand’s first pass was a pick-six, and he finished 8-of-15 for 59 yards.
The quarterback play has been ugly enough on its own, but the bigger issue is what it’s done to the offense as a whole. According to PFF, Atlanta has not reached the red zone on a single drive through two games.
That’s a shocking stat for a team with an offensive line and playmakers like Pitts, London and Robinson. The only offensive touchdown so far has come on Robinson’s 23-yard catch-and-run against the Steelers in Week 1.
Asked about his confidence in Rush and Strand, Stefanski didn’t bite.
“I wouldn’t even go there,” Stefanski told reporters. “I’m disappointed in our performance as a football team.
That’s all of us. That’s not just one position.
I’m disappointed and I'm gonna make sure we look at answers and not pinpoint one position.”
There is at least a path to something better. Penix is expected back from the torn ACL in the near future, and Atlanta could finally get a real look at whether he can be the quarterback of the future.
If he flashes, the Falcons could exercise his fifth-year option next offseason. If he doesn’t, a high draft pick could put them back in position to chase another quarterback in a class that looks promising.
Still, Stefanski has seen enough of this movie already to know better than to assume the ending is coming soon.
In Other News...
Falcons Captain Had A Blunt Response To Fans Booing Sunday
The mood turned quickly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday as the Falcons home opener slipped away in a 34-3 loss to the Panthers, and the boos that followed were hard to miss. For a team trying to settle in early at home, it was the kind of afternoon that leaves little room for spin, and linebacker Divine Deablo, one of Atlantas captains, did not try to offer any.
Deablo took accountability for the performance and did not place blame on the crowds reaction, a stance that matched the tone set by fellow captain Jessie Bates III. For the Falcons, the bigger issue was not the noise from the stands but the way the game unraveled, and how quickly their first home chance of the season became a frustration for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Added More Tension To Atlantas Ugly Loss
The Falcons Week 2 loss to the Panthers was already messy on the field, and it only got more uncomfortable for Atlanta when Drake London got into a verbal exchange with someone in the stands. London later acknowledged that personal comments from the individual triggered his reaction, and he said he regretted how he responded. For a team already trying to sort out an offense that sputtered with veteran Cooper Rush starting before rookie Jack Strand took over, the sideline-to-stands moment was another distraction in a game Atlanta would rather forget.
London remains one of the most important pieces of the Falcons attack, which is why anything pulling attention away from the football matters. The incident added another layer of frustration to an afternoon when the offense never found much rhythm, and it left Atlanta dealing with not just the loss itself but the kind of sideline fallout that can linger after a rough Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Offense Is Becoming An Early Problem Fans Feared
Through two weeks, the Falcons have landed in an unwelcome spot near the bottom of the leagues latest NFL power rankings, sitting 32nd after a start that has only deepened early worries about the offense. The updated list paints Atlanta as a team still searching for answers, with little evidence so far that the unit is close to finding the rhythm fans expected heading into the season.
The concern is less about one rough Sunday than the broader feeling that this could linger if the offense does not quickly stabilize. Miami is only one spot ahead at 31st, which underscores just how shaky the early-season picture looks for both teams, but for Atlanta the bigger issue is whether the problems on offense are becoming a pattern rather than a short-term slump. [Read more 🡒]