FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons signed veteran quarterback Cooper Rush after Tua Tagovailoa suffered a back injury, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Rush participated in early workouts on the first day of training camp. He said he was at home in Dallas when he learned the Falcons were interested in signing him.
He flew to Atlanta on Tuesday night and finalized paperwork ahead of Day 1 of training camp.
“We’re in the middle of a workout, and said, ‘All right, let’s cut that short. We’re gonna go catch this flight really fast,’” Rush said Wednesday.
With Tagovailoa sidelined with a back injury that coach Kevin Stefanski expects to not be a long-term issue, Rush is one of two healthy quarterbacks on the Falcons’ roster as of Wednesday, as doctors have not yet cleared Michael Penix Jr. for 11-on-11 action.
Rush said he is looking forward to getting to know Penix and Tagovailoa, as they are players who have had “tons of success” in their careers.
He added that he did not know any players on the Falcons’ roster before joining the team. Penix had high praise for the team’s newest addition after meeting him for the first time.
“He was awesome all day. He was very sharp,” Penix said. “Obviously, he’s been in the league for a while. … He’s going to be a great addition.”
The 32-year-old has spent parts of eight seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens in 2025, after being signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He is best known for his time in Dallas, in which he started 14 games in relief of Dak Prescott.
He played in college at Central Michigan and passed for 12,984 yards, 90 touchdowns and 55 interceptions across four seasons.
The team also released veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian on Wednesday with a non-football injury designation. Undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Strand took most of the team’s reps on the team’s first day of training camp.
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