Falcons get worrying Cooper Rush report one day before Week 1 opener image
There are four quarterbacks on the Atlanta Falcons roster, and not one of them could confidently be started for Week 1.
Michael Penix Jr. is still hurt and won't be active for game day just yet. During practice this week, Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury and was ruled out for the season opener despite being named the starter.
That led to Cooper Rush getting the start for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reported some worrying news about Rush, as the Falcons QB3 is also now dealing with an injury heading into the season opener.
Cooper Rush becomes third Falcons QB to be injured before Week 1
"Falcons QB Cooper Rush experienced back spasms earlier today, but will still start Sunday, per the team," Raimondi reported.
This is some significant news for the Falcons, as Rush was supposed to be the team's starting quarterback for Week 1, and now he's dealing with a back issue.
Penix and Tagovailoa have already been ruled out for the season opener, and now Rush is dealing with an injury issue. The only solace is that he's seemingly able to play. But this situation is not a good one at all.
After losing their QB1 in Penix and their QB2 in Tagovailoa, what would the Falcons do if they lost their QB3 in Rush?
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Undrafted rookie free agent Jack Strand would have to take over. While he showed some promise during the preseason, he's not the kind of player Falcons fans should want out there in Week 1.
He might be a fun player to see what he can do late in the season. But for the team's first game of the year, putting Strand out on the field would be quite the turn of events.
Rush is slated to play for now, but there's a chance that Strand ends up playing during the Week 1 opener against the Steelers. It would be quite the shocker, especially considering no one expected Strand to even be active for the season opener at the start of the week.
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