The Atlanta Falcons have seen enough out of Cooper Rush.
Atlanta announced in a post to social media on Monday that they have named Michael Penix Jr. as their new starting quarterback. Penix is set to be under center for Thursday’s Week 3 game against the Green Bay Packers.
Michael Penix Jr. has been named starting quarterback for Thursday's gamehttps://t.co/EyBzaBvKii pic.twitter.com/320iqTJ4hN
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 21, 2026
Penix, the 26-year-old former first-round pick, is making his return after suffering a partial ACL tear last November. Prior to getting injured, Penix was the starting QB for Atlanta in 2025 and went 3-6 with 1,982 passing yards and nine touchdowns to three interceptions.
The Falcons are off to an 0-2 start to the season and have gotten some horrific quarterback play out of the veteran Rush. Over his two games as the starter, Rush has thrown for a mere 229 yards with one touchdown to a whopping four interceptions. During Sunday’s 34-3 beatdown loss to the Carolina Panthers, Rush was even benched in the second half for rookie quarterback Jack Strand (who proceeded to throw a late interception himself).
Atlanta does have the offensive pieces to succeed, namely with an All-Pro RB in Bijan Robinson and a former 1,000-yard WR in Drake London. Now the hope will be that a higher-upside quarterback in Penix can elevate the entire offense, provided that he is fully recovered from his injury.
The Falcons’ decision to re-name Penix as their starter may also be fairly telling as to the status of fellow QB Tua Tagovailoa. The ex-NFL passing yards leader Tagovailoa was widely expected to be the starting quarterback before the season but was knocked off his perch after suffering an oblique injury and still has yet to make his official debut for Atlanta.
