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Falcons name Cooper Rush starter after Tagovailoa injury

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 11:11 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Cooper Rush Starter

The Atlanta Falcons named veteran Cooper Rush the starter for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury sustained in Thursday practice.
Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the Falcons’ backup quarterback.
The Miami Dolphins cut Tagovailoa with a $99.2 million dead-cap hit, the NFL’s largest.

Summary

McCarthy Leads Steelers

Mike McCarthy becomes Steelers head coach, ending Mike Tomlin's 19-year tenure.
Patrick Graham joins as defensive coordinator, introducing new defensive schematics.
The Steelers added safeties Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaquan Brisker and corner Jamel Dean to the secondary.
Pittsburgh traded for WR Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted a fullback to strengthen offense.
Preseason reports flagged a shaky interior offensive line as a potential weakness against Atlanta.

History

Historical Context

The 1970 AFL-NFL merger placed the Steelers in the new American Football Conference, pairing ten former AFL clubs with three NFL teams and establishing the AFC and NFC structure. Now the Falcons have named veteran quarterback Cooper Rush starter and the Steelers have hired former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, moves that echo the league-wide realignments after the June 8, 1966 merger announcement.

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Cooper Rush Starter

The Atlanta Falcons named veteran Cooper Rush the starter for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury sustained in Thursday practice.
Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the Falcons’ backup quarterback.
The Miami Dolphins cut Tagovailoa with a $99.2 million dead-cap hit, the NFL’s largest.

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