Falcons GM Ian Cunningham: We haven't made QB decision for Week 1 yet

Published September 2, 2026 02:15 PM The Raiders named Kirk Cousins their Week 1 starting quarterback on Wednesday, but his former team has not made the same call. Falcons General Manager Ian Cunningham said “not yet” when asked at a press conference if the team has made a choice between Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa for their game against the Steelers. “Ultimately, when the coaches are ready, when the players are ready, we will make that decision,” Cunningham said.Penix was cleared for football activities after recovering from a torn ACL over a week ago, but did not play in the team’s final preseason game. That lack of work was mitigated by Tagovailoa’s ups and downs while in game action last month. Tagovailoa also dealt with a back injury early in camp and the extended looks that Jack Strand and Cooper Rush received over the summer resulted in them making the cut to the 53-man roster as well. Cunningham said that having Strand and Rush provides “a little bit of an insurance policy” and that seems wise given the injury histories of the other two quarterbacks. That only leaves the decision of who they’ll be insuring on September 13.