FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was limited in Thursday's practice due to an oblique injury. Because of this development, Cooper Rush took all of the first-team reps with the Falcons' offensive unit throughout Thursday's practice.

"Early on I got told that I was going," Rush said after practice.

Tagovailoa was named the Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback Monday morning. That same day, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Rush will act as Tagovailoa's backup while Michael Penix Jr. will be listed as inactive.

It was observed during the open period of Thursday's practice that Tagovailoa touched his back before sitting down on the field briefly during individual drills. Rush spent the rest of the practice with the first team, something he said was very helpful.

"It's huge," Rush said. "All those reps matter, and its a big advantage for me. If you have to go in there, at least you have some reps."

Rush's story of how he got to the Falcons is an interesting one.

Way back on the day players reported to the Falcons' facility in Flowery Branch for training camp in July, Tagovailoa was experiencing what he described as back tightness. He was not able to participate in full-team, 11-on-11 work at that time. Neither was Michael Penix Jr. as he had not yet been cleared to participate in 11s following his season-ending knee injury in 2025. That meant rookie UDFA Jack Strand would be the lone quarterback on the roster who could participate in team drills.

The afternoon before the team's first training camp practice, the Falcons got ahold of Rush. After a late flight and an early morning workout, Rush signed with the Falcons just in time for the team's first practice.

Since then, Rush said the staff has done a good job catching him up to speed on the playbook they'd been installing since April. It helps, he added, that everyone else is in Year 1 of this system, too.

"I got caught up to speed very quickly," Rush said. "I think that's a testament to the staff, how well its coached. You can follow along and pick it up pretty quickly in terms of how its organized, the systematic stuff of it."

Stefanski is scheduled to address the media for a final time Friday before the Falcons travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers this Sunday.