Is Cooper Rush playing today? Falcons injury update with Jack Strand waiting

The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback situation already looked bad while fans were forced to watch Tua Tagovailoa's decline amid Michael Penix Jr.'s recovery from a torn ACL. But it got drastically worse when Tagovailoa was named the Week 1 starter ... only to get sidelined this week with a back injury. That forced the team to turn to journeyman Cooper Rush under center on short notice.

And then Rush himself got dinged up this week, complaining of back spasms. It seems like being named the starting quarterback for the Falcons foreshadows untimely injuries. But with Tagovailoa officially ruled out for Week 1, will Rush be healthy enough to start? Here’s an injury update on Rush and the latest on the quarterback situation in Atlanta

Is Cooper Rush playing today? Latest injury update on Falcons quarterback situation

Despite Rush dealing with back spasms shortly after being named the starter, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Rush will still start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. This is good news for Atlanta, as Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie who played his college football with Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, would've been the next man up. The Falcons would prefer to not turn the offense over to a rookie, but he is their last-ditch option. 

Rush was brought in during training camp as emergency depth when Tagovailoa went down with an injury. He ended up making the roster as insurance, and now he’s starting Week 1. Rush last played with the Baltimore Ravens after spending the first seven seasons of his career in Dallas. He’s 9-7 as a starter in his career and will be making his first season-opening start. 

Atlanta Falcons QB depth chart as injuries pile up

Strand will be Rush’s backup, which is probably not how Kevin Stefanski imagined his first season in Atlanta going. He left quarterback dysfunction in Cleveland just for it to follow him south. He didn’t have a great quarterback room to begin with, and now he has to play a career backup in Week 1 because his two preferred options are injured. This was always the risk in bringing in Tagovailoa, who’s only had one fully healthy season in the NFL, to join Penix Jr., who has a lengthy injury history himself going back to his days in college. 

Atlanta will have to decide how they want to navigate their quarterback situation early in the season. Do they take the risk of Penix Jr. and Tagovailoa being healthy when neither can be ready for Week 1, or do they turn to the trade block to find a more reliable option — even if they aren’t the best option?

What to know about Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Jack Strand

Strand is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play Division II football, believe it or not. He appeared in 42 games for Minnesota State-Moorhead, amassing more than 13,000 career passing yards — a top-10 mark in Division II history. Last season with the Dragons, he threw for more than 3,500 yards and had more than 40 passing touchdowns.

He was under-recruited coming out of high school and never made the move to Division I football via the transfer portal, going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now he has a chance to be a backup quarterback in the NFL and potentially play if Rush’s back spasms linger or if he gets hurt during the Falcons’ Week 1 game. 

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