A late-week injury has put Cooper Rush in the middle of Atlanta’s Week 1 plans.
Rush, signed by the Falcons on opening day of training camp in late July, suddenly found himself taking first-team reps on Thursday after newly named starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa injured his oblique during individual drills at the Sept. 10 Falcons practice. Tagovailoa is listed as a limited practice participant on the injury report, and his status for Sunday’s opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers is now in question.
“They kind of just told me ‘you’re up,’” Rush told reporters after Thursday’s practice.
That meant a bigger role for Rush, who had spent most of camp behind the scenes. After making the 53-man roster in a quarterback room that carries four passers, and then landing as the backup on the initial depth chart, Thursday gave him a real chance to run the Atlanta offense with the first unit.
“It was a good day,” Rush recapped the practice. “It was good to get out there, get some good real reps with that group, and we’ll see what happens.”
He hadn’t had many chances to work with the starters before that, aside from a stretch early in camp when both Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. were unavailable.
The Falcons liked what they saw. All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom praised Rush’s work after practice.
“He was great,” said Falcons All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom.
“His cadence was just picking up the rhythm of it. He does such a great job of being consistent. And consistency is the most important thing with that, to get off on timing.”
Lindstrom also said Rush’s communication was “excellent.”
Atlanta is also trying to get comfortable with a new offensive setup under first-year coordinator Tommy Rees, and Rush said he’s ready if Tagovailoa can’t go Sunday in Pittsburgh.
“I’m up to speed,” Rush said, explaining that the coaching staff has made the system easy to absorb. “It’s a testament to the staff how well it’s coached that you can follow along and pick it up pretty quickly in terms of how it’s organized, the systematic stuff of it,” Rush said. “That’s been really helpful, and everybody in their first year together definitely helps it too.”
Rush has had only a limited run as a starter across his NFL career, but he has been there before. According to StatMuse, he is 9-7 as a starter in stops with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He has dropped his last three starts, including a 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last October with Baltimore, when he completed 11 of 19 passes for 72 yards and threw an interception in relief of Lamar Jackson.
Still, the veteran said the job is simple: be ready whenever the call comes.
“You just got to stay ready,” Rush said. “Some weeks you might not have any reps.
So having reps today helps you get ready, whether you’re starting or not. So I’ll take advantage of those either way.
The mindset never changes.”
The Falcons open against the Steelers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, with FOX carrying the broadcast. Atlanta is trying to beat Pittsburgh for the first time since 2006.
In Other News...
Steelers Legend Sees One Way Rodgers And McCarthy Change Everything
Jerome Bettis is looking at the Steelers new offensive setup and seeing a path to a much different kind of season. With Aaron Rodgers steering the attack and Mike McCarthy calling the shots, Bettis believes Pittsburgh has the pieces to push closer to 30 points a game, a level that would change the way the whole roster functions. The idea is simple enough: if the offense can put more points on the board, the rest of the team can spend less time playing catch-up and more time dictating terms.
For a defense built around stars like T.J. Watt and Joey Porter Jr., that kind of scoring support could be especially valuable. Pittsburgh averaged 23.4 points in 2025, and even a noticeable jump from there would give the Steelers more room to be aggressive, hunt turnovers and create pressure without worrying as much about every possession. The offense has the personnel to make that conversation real, but the real question is whether Rodgers and McCarthy can turn the theory into a steady advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Already Face Questions About The Receiver They Passed On
Pittsburghs receiver room was always going to draw a little extra scrutiny after the Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr. before the 2026 season, especially with Mike Evans moving on to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. Pittman gives the Steelers a proven target and a familiar kind of outside presence, while Evans headed elsewhere on a deal that quickly made him one of the more closely watched additions around the league.
Evans wasted little time giving San Francisco something to feel good about in his debut, finishing with six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown while drawing a strong grade from Pro Football Focus. The early returns only sharpen the comparison between the two receivers, and for Steelers fans, it leaves the obvious question hanging over the season ahead: whether the player they brought in can match the impact of the one they watched walk away. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face Costly Joey Porter Jr. Decision They Can't Dodge
The Steelers are staring at one of those decisions front offices would rather put off, but cant really avoid for long. Joey Porter Jr. has quickly become the kind of high-ceiling cornerback who changes the conversation about a secondary, and that usually means the next conversation is about money. NFL analyst Jourdan Rodrigue recently framed the issue plainly: if Pittsburgh is not willing to meet the kind of contract Porter will be seeking, the club should at least consider moving him while his value remains strong.
Dallas has emerged as a logical place for that kind of scenario, which only adds to the pressure on the Steelers to decide what Porter is worth to them now versus later. Keeping him would preserve a premium talent at a premium position, but it also means eventually confronting a deal that could reshape the roster budget. Trading him would bring a different kind of flexibility, though it would also mean parting with a player the team believes still has significant room to grow. [Read more 🡒]