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Falcons carry four QBs as 53-man roster takes shape (0:54)

Marc RaimondiSep 2, 2026, 05:39 PM ET
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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons still don't know who their starting quarterback will be for their Week 1 opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 13, or least they're not yet saying.

One thing they do know, though, is the decision will not be made by one individual.

Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said Wednesday it will be a group effort that includes himself, head coach Kevin Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank.

"We all talk about it," Cunningham said. "We all have been talking about it forever. So, at the end of the day, we'll make the decision, and when it's time to make the decision, we'll let you know."

Michael Penix Jr. was the team's starting quarterback for Week 1 last season. But he tore his left ACL last November and did not get cleared to practice fully until last week. Penix did not play in any preseason games and only started work in 11-on-11 periods on Aug. 24.

The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million contract in the offseason following his release from the Miami Dolphins in early March. Tagovailoa came into training camp in late July with a tight back and missed about a week. So he, like Penix, also faced a setback.

With Tagovailoa and Penix out, all the early reps in practice went to veteran Cooper Rush (whom the Falcons signed just a day before camp began) and undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Rush and Strand both performed well in the preseason and the Falcons decided to keep all four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster earlier this week.

"So, it just so happens that we had four guys who went out and earned it at that position and it's a good position to have depth," assistant general manager Jeff Scott said. "So, as far as I'm concerned, it's about whoever goes out there works and earns it."

The Falcons are keeping their decision-making process relatively close to the vest. While most figure that either Penix or Tagovailoa will be the starter, Cunningham would not say Wednesday that Rush and Strand were out of contention.

"I can't answer that," Cunningham said.

One thing Cunningham was able to answer was that the Falcons brain trust wants to see more of Penix. He had just three practices doing 11-on-11s last week and the team wants as much data as it can get before making a decision.

"The more reps, the more evaluations we can get, the better," Cunningham said. "Just like we discussed, that's the hand that we were dealt. So, the more opportunities that we can to evaluate, the better it is. "

As opener nears, Falcons still have not announced a QB1

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