FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Head coach Kevin Stefanski said the plan for playing time in the Falcons' first preseason game Friday against the Denver Broncos is in pencil. It will change to pen at the conclusion of Wednesday's practice. Still, Stefanski felt solid enough about the plan to detail it before practice began.
The starters will play Friday. According to the head coach, the starters will get a series, or about 10 plays, depending on "which comes first." This will include quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will get the start.
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Stefanski clarified this does not mean Tagovailoa is the starting quarterback for the Falcons once the 2026 regular season begins.
"We are not there (right now) to name a starter for Week 1," Stefanski said. "We will cross that bridge when we get to it. We feel very good about where Tua is — where all of our guys are — but he will start on Friday night."
At this juncture, the plan is to start Tagovailoa, have Cooper Rush rotate in afterwards, and then allow Jack Strand to finish the game. Michael Penix Jr. is not yet cleared for full-team, 11-on-11 work.
Asked about Penix's progress, Stefanski said the Falcons like where he's at in his rehab from a season-ending ACL tear last season. Per Stefanski, Penix will continue at the pace he is on when the Falcons travel to Indianapolis next week to face the Colts in joint practices before their second preseason game.
Penix will participate in individual drills, 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s. He will not participate in 11-on-11 work.
As for other players, the head coach went on to say he will not go up and down the roster detailing the plan for every individual, but assured that they'll consider each player's playing time on an individual basis.
"We will vary play time by players," he said. "So, there are some guys who may get more. Some guys who may get less, but we are just trying to get our guys ready for the season based on what we think they need in these games."
The Falcons host the Denver Broncos at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
"We're looking forward to Friday night," Stefanski said, "and being in front of our fans."
Notes and observations from practice
Hello, Falcons fans, Will McFadden checking in here after the team wrapped up Wednesday's practice. The team did not have full pads on for their final practice before Friday's preseason game, but there was an emphasis on full-team work. Here are the best things I saw out on the practice field and other observations worth sharing.
Roll call: Right tackle Jawaan Taylor was out there for individual drills on Wednesday as he continues to work back into the mix after missing offseason work due to an injury. He did not take part in the full-team session, but it was a good sign in his progression back that he was working with the offensive line after not participating in Tuesday's practice. Veteran safety Jessie Bates III did not practice, but he was off working to the side and is "getting better," according to Stefanski. Edge defender Bralen Trice was also working with a trainer away from the team, making it the second practice he's missed. Other players who did not practice include rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell and defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand. Defensive back Jammie Robinson returned to practice on Wednesday.
Good day for the defense: Although the offense made its share of plays, the defense made them when it mattered. There was a lengthy period near the end of practice where the first-team offense faced the second-team defense and vice versa. It was a live-clock period where players either had to get out of bounds or a timeout had to be used to preserve the limited clock available to start the drive. It's meant to simulate end-of-game strategic scenarios and help players practice the important details of preserving time before the pressure is truly on.
The series started with Cooper Rush leading the second-team offense against the starting defenders. The offensive line in front of Rush included, from left to right: Wanya Morris, Kyle Hinton, Corey Levin, Layden Robinson, Ethan Onianwa. Rush didn't hesitate to test the Falcons' top defenders, throwing a ball deep down the left sideline towards Keelan Marion that was broken up by DeMarcco Hellams and A.J. Terrell. Rush followed that up with a nice completion to tight end Charlie Woerner for a healthy amount of yardage, but an incomplete pass on the next play brought the drive to an end.
That brought out the starting offense to square off against the first-team defense. Led by Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, the offensive line included Michael Jerrell at left tackle, Matthew Bergeron at left guard, Ryan Neuzil at center, Chris Lindstrom at left guard and Brandon Walton at right tackle. Starting left tackle Jake Matthews did not participate in the period but was on the field at the beginning of practice. The offense began their series with two easy completions to Bijan Robinson in the right flat to get the drive started. A deep shot to Olamide Zaccheaus nearly connected for a touchdown, but the incompletion brought out the field goal unit for a mock attempt.
Rush and the second-team offense returned to the field after what appeared to be a successful imaginary field goal based on the kicking team's reaction, and they didn't waste any time getting going. Running back Tyler Goodson made a strong catch while tiptoeing the left sideline and simultaneously protecting the ball from a hard punch from linebacker Christian Harris. Rush then connected with undrafted rookies Vinny Anthony II and Keelan Marion on back-to-back plays. He found Marion again against cornerback Mike Hughes, and the rookie receiver made a savvy toe-tap to complete the catch. Rush looked Austin Hooper's way on the next two plays, and the veteran tight end nearly made the play of camp on the first throw. Hooper leapt up over linebacker J.D. Bertrand and attempted to reverse-grab the ball with his left hand while fully outstretched. He had it for a split second before it ultimately slipped away. After two incompletions, the starting offense came back on.
Tagovailoa hit tight end Kyle Pitts on his first throw of the series but missed him on his second. He then tossed a deep corner ball to Drake London, but it fell incomplete against Hughes. On the very next play, however, Tagovailoa looked to be picked off by nickel cornerback A.J. Woods, who appeared to make an acrobatic interception by securing the ball behind his knees. The officials did not rule it an interception, however, and the drive stayed alive. Tagovailoa found Robinson on a scramble drill — good pass rush from edge defender Azeez Ojulari on the play — to extend the drive. He then connected with a wide-open London on an easy throw to the left sideline.
Tagovailoa's next two passes were in London's direction as well, and had split results. His first ball drew a pass-interference call that put the offense at the goal line. His second ball was tipped on a huge leap by cornerback Clark Phillips II and landed into the arms of Jammie Robinson, who picked a good day to return.
Check out these photos of the Atlanta Falcons showing off their personalities and style in these fun, 0.5-angle portraits after practice at the 2026 AT&T Training Camp.
