FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons begin their 2026 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.
On Monday, it was announced Tua Tagovailoa would be the team's starting quarterback for the game and Cooper Rush would be his immediate backup. Third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will not be active for the game, per head coach Kevin Stefanski, but that has not affected his availability for practice this week. There were a few players limited in practice to start the week, however.
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Wide receiver Zachariah Branch and offensive lineman Kyle Hinton were the two players limited for Atlanta's offense on Wednesday. On the other side of the ball, defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus and Za'Darius Smith as well as cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. were partial participants. That is good news for Bowman, who continues to work back after sustaining a season-ending Achilles injury last year. He did not play in any of the team's preseason games, but Stefanski said Wednesday the second-year cornerback is "feeling really good. He's getting close. We will bring him along this week and see where he can get to."
While the coaching staff monitors Bowman's progress, we'll be keeping track of the team's health in the lead-up to Sunday's kickoff. Here is Atlanta's injury report from their first Wednesday practice of the 2026 season:
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Full participation
- QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee)
Limited participation
- WR Zachariah Branch (hamstring)
- OL Kyle Hinton (knee)
- CB Billy Bowman Jr. (Achilles)
- DL Brandon Dorlus (groin)
- DE Za'Darius Smith (shoulder)
Did not participate
- N/A
