Atlanta Falcons to start QB Cooper Rush in place of injured Tua Tagovailoa

Veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was named the Atlanta Falcons' starter on Monday, but is now out with an oblique injury. File Photo by Alex Butler/UPI

Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Falcons will start Cooper Rush in place of injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in their season opener, they announced Friday.

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Coach Kevin Stefanski said Jack Strand will be the Falcons' second string quarterback for the matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

"He's a very competitive person, so disappointed," Stefanski told reporters, when asked about Tagovailoa. "But he's going to rally behind Coop and do everything he can to help Coop."

Rush took all of the Falcons' first-team offensive reps Thursday and continued to lead passing drills at Friday's practice session. The veteran quarterback threw for 303 yards, with no touchdowns and four interceptions, over four appearances last season for the Baltimore Ravens.

Rush completed 61.1% of his throws for 3,766 yards, 20 scores and 14 interceptions over the first 42 appearances of his NFL career. He started 16 times during that span.

Veteran quarterback Cooper Rush, who spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens, is set to make the 17th start of his career Sunday for the Atlanta Falcons. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI

Stefanski said Tagovailoa, who is dealing with an oblique injury, is day-to-day or week-to-week.

Tagovailoa sustained the injury early on during Thursday's session. Stefanski said the Falcons "have a plan" for their emergency third-string quarterback against the Steelers, but did not share that plan with reporters.

Veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dealt with injuries throughout his tenure with the Miami Dolphins. File Photo by John Sommers II/UPI

The Falcons named Tagovailoa their starting quarterback on Monday after he was in an off-season competition for the role with Michael Penix Jr. Penix, who started nine games last season for the Falcons, is still recovering from ACL surgery. He will be listed as a Week 1 inactive.

Stefanski did not provide a potential timeline for Penix to be available for regular-season games.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who started nine games last season, is recovering from ACL surgery. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI

Tagovailoa, who signed with the Falcons in March, dealt with a back injury during training camp. He also missed significant time throughout his previous tenure with the Miami Dolphins due to hip and rib injuries and concussions.

The Falcons will face the Steelers at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday in Pittsburgh. They are six-point underdogs.

The Atlanta Falcons signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year contract in March. File Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI

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