Rush Gets Falcons Start as Tagovailoa Sidelined by Injury
Cooper Rush will start at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 1 road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed the move Friday afternoon, adding that Jack Strand will serve as the backup.
Tagovailoa appears to have sustained the injury during Thursday's practice, with video footage capturing the moment he may have first felt discomfort. ESPN has described his status as week-to-week. Atlanta signed the 2023 Pro Bowler to a one-year contract in March after his release from the Miami Dolphins. In 2025, Tagovailoa started 14 games, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing 67.7% of his passes for an 88.5 passer rating. beach volleyball sports betting site
Rush, 32, brings 16 career NFL starts into the assignment. He most recently started twice for the Baltimore Ravens last season and previously made 14 starts for the Dallas Cowboys across three seasons - one in 2021, five in 2022 and eight in 2024. Rookie Michael Penix Jr., meanwhile, remains sidelined as he continues recovering from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 11 last season, and he will not be on Atlanta's active roster to begin the year.
With both Penix and now Tagovailoa unavailable, Rush inherits full command of Atlanta's offense for the opener. The Falcons face the Steelers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, a matchup that will offer an early read on how the team manages its quarterback depth should Tagovailoa's recovery timeline extend beyond a single week.
