The Falcons’ quarterback plan for Sunday is looking a lot less complicated than it did earlier in the day.
By Friday afternoon, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Cooper Rush was “taking the first-team reps” and “is expected to start Week 2.” Rapoport also said Michael Penix Jr. is “not quite ready” to face a live defense in a meaningful game, which leaves Atlanta leaning on the same setup it used in Week 1.
Tua Tagovailoa, who had been named the Falcons’ starter ahead of the opener, is still out with an oblique injury that surfaced on Sept. 10. The issue kept him out of Atlanta’s Sept. 13 game and also kept him off the practice field on Wednesday and Thursday.
"[Tagovailoa] remains unavailable for Atlanta as he deals with an oblique injury that popped up ahead of Week 1," Rapoport explained.
Penix’s path back is tied to his recovery from the surgery he had last fall to repair a partially torn ACL. He said this week that he still had “some goals” he wanted to reach before he could get back into the lineup. A prior report indicated those goals won’t be met before Atlanta’s Week 3 trip to the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 24, while Tagovailoa’s status for that game was still unclear as of Friday.
Rush, meanwhile, did not exactly seize the moment in Atlanta’s 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, threw a touchdown, and was picked off twice while posting a league-worst 5.0 adjusted QBR.
There is at least another name in the room if Atlanta needs to keep digging. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand served as the Falcons’ primary backup against Pittsburgh, and if Rush struggles again against Carolina and neither Penix nor Tagovailoa is available for Green Bay, Stefanski could consider giving Strand the start in Week 3.
In Other News...
Cam Newton Just Got Pulled Into Atlanta's QB Drama
The Falcons quarterback situation has become the kind of soap opera that keeps spilling into the rest of the NFC South, and it has a familiar name attached to it. Atlanta has cycled through six different starters since Matt Ryans final season in 2021, with Cooper Rush getting the nod recently despite a rough outing, and the injuries and uncertainty around the position have only widened the conversation.
Into that mix, some fans have floated the idea of a Cam Newton comeback, even though he has not played since 2021 and has not officially retired. Newton has already fueled the chatter a bit with a cryptic response on social media, but he has not said he plans to return, leaving the whole thing in the category of speculation for now. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr Puts Falcons Quarterback Decision Back In Play
Todd Bowles message about Baker Mayfields ball security and turnover problem adds another layer to a division race that already has no shortage of quarterback intrigue, and it comes as Michael Penix Jr. keeps moving forward in his recovery. The Falcons quarterback was a full participant in practice and split reps with Cooper Rush, a sign that Atlanta is at least keeping its options active as it sorts through the position.
For Carolina, the roster churn continued with the Panthers waiving cornerback Jimmy Horn to make room for linebacker Tyrel Dodson. Dave Canales framed the move as a roster-driven decision and made clear the team still values Horns progress, but in a division where quarterback uncertainty can shift the balance quickly, the Panthers know how much every personnel choice gets filtered through the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
David Teppers Place Among Americas Richest Says Plenty About Panthers Power
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Teppers fortune has more than doubled over that span, keeping him in a rare class of NFL owners even as the broader list is topped by Elon Musk and followed by Jeff Bezos and other familiar names. For Carolina, the more interesting takeaway is less about the ranking itself than what it says about the level of resources and expectations attached to the organization under Teppers ownership. [Read more 🡒]