The Falcons are turning back to experience at quarterback after Sunday’s loss to Chicago pushed the team deeper into a messy season at the position.
Atlanta fell 31-23 to the Bears, a defeat that dropped the Falcons to 2-4 and led to another shakeup behind center. Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes and finished with 225 passing yards and no interceptions, but Atlanta dug too deep a hole, trailing 31-7 early in the fourth quarter before Penix found Kyle Pitts Sr. for two touchdowns to cut the margin. A late fumble shut the door on the comeback attempt.
Now the Falcons are signing Andy Dalton, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Atlanta is releasing Rush to make room for the veteran quarterback.
Dalton gives Atlanta another seasoned arm as the team continues sorting through injuries and uncertainty at the position. The Falcons have not announced where he will land on the depth chart.
Rush had been with Atlanta since July, when the team added him as a depth piece after he spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens. He played in four games for Baltimore and made two starts before Atlanta brought him in with concerns swirling around the health of its other quarterbacks.
He opened the season as the starter in the first two games after Tagovailoa’s injury and Penix’s continued recovery, but the Falcons lost both. Rush completed 22 of 39 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, including two picks in each start against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers.
Dalton arrives with a long résumé. The 38-year-old has 16 NFL seasons under his belt and three Pro Bowl selections.
Cincinnati drafted him in the second round in 2011, and he spent nine seasons with the Bengals before moving on to the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. In his career, Dalton has thrown for 39,793 yards and 254 touchdowns.
He most recently spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles after a March trade from Carolina that brought him in as a veteran backup for Jalen Hurts. That stint ended earlier this month when he threw an interception on his only pass attempt after coming into a Week 3 game against the Bears while Hurts was being evaluated for an injury. The Eagles released him on October 9, making him available for Atlanta.
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