Kevin Stefanski: Cooper Rush knows how to prepare

Published September 11, 2026 02:19 PM With Tua Tagovailoa out on Sunday, Cooper Rush is in.The Falcons signed Rush in July and now he’s set to play after he had just one series with the club’s starters during training camp.“That’s the life of a backup quarterback,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday, via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. “In an ideal world, would you have liked to have gotten every rep? Of course, that’s a no-brainer, but I do think there are examples of guys who come in with no reps … and you’re expected to compete and hold the standard of the room.“Cooper has been a backup. He’s been a starter. He knows how to prepare.”It’s an unexpected start for Rush after Tagovailoa was injured during individual drills on Thursday. While Stefanski said he’s disappointed for Tagovailoa, he’s expecting the QB to “rally behind ‘Coop’ and do everything he can to help Cooper.” After this weekend, Michael Penix Jr. could become another factor for Atlanta at quarterback. While the 2024 first-round pick is not ready to play this week, he has said that he’s close.Stefanski did not want to speculate on the matter on Friday.“Mike will be ready when he’s ready,” Stefanski said. “I trust in this process. I’m not going to get into next week. Like Mike said, he’s getting really, really close to being 100 percent and ready to go.”Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will now serve as Atlanta’s backup quarterback against Pittsburgh on Sunday.