Falcons de facto starting QB Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday's practice after appearing to hurt his back, an injury that could jeopardize his status for Sunday's opening game at Pittsburgh.
What They're Saying
ESPN's Marc Raimondi: "During the open media portion of practice, Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down on the grass briefly during individual drills Thursday. It was unclear exactly what had happened."
Reggie Chatman Jr. of 11Alive News in Atlanta captured this video of that moment practice.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Cooper Rush later confirmed that he took all the first-team reps at QB after Tagovailoa went down. He'd step in if back injury keeps Tagovailoa out for Sunday's game.
Rush has started 16 career NFL games, including two for last year's Ravens. He managed just 251 yards, 0 TDs, and 4 INTs on 25-of-39 passing across those two contests. To be fair, he had to face the Texans and Rams.
Rush's previous 14 starts came with Dallas. He threw for 200+ yards eight times and reached 2 TD passes in a game on five occasions.
Rush would probably be a passing downgrade from Tagovailoa, though it's tough to say he'd be much worse after Tua's poor camp and preseason barely got him named the starter on a team waiting for Michael Penix Jr. to be ready.
WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts remain in play for Week 1 fantasy usage, but don't be surprised if the whole offense lags.
