It's no secret the Atlanta Falcons' offense has been held back by their quarterback issues to start the 2026 season. Rather than starting one of Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa as expected, they're both injured, which has forced the Falcons to turn to QB3 Cooper Rush--which has gone about as horribly as you'd expect.
Through two games, the Falcons are the only team in the NFL without a red-zone drive in 2026, and are the first since the 2008 Rams to have no red-zone drives through two games. So seeing Rush turn the ball over three times in a 34-3 blowout loss against the Carolina Panthers with Penix hurt stung.
Atlanta's dismal QB play from Rush--even as an emergency option-- has seen them waste a surplus of Pro Bowl-caliber talent on offense. They have three elite weapons in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts who were all extended this offseason, and believe it or not, these deals are aging better amid the (former) QB uncertainty--though things are finally looking up for these guys.
But the good news here is that Penix is back and will get the start in Week 3's TNF clash against the Green Bay Packers, which is going to finally make these extensions look worth the price tag,
The Atlanta Falcons have the offensive infrastructure, they're just missing the QB
For all of the flack Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham have received over the mess under center is absolutely justified, they deserve their credit for how these extensions were handled. They signed three of the team's most important players to new deals across a span of two months, and while the terms of the deals will start to look better over time, so will the choice to lock them down long-term.
Had the Dirty Birds waited to extend them until after the season, this would be a vastly different story. They'd have the power to request a trade, or possibly be dealt at the deadline, but instead, all three of them are staying true to Atlanta and will weather the storm amid the lingering quarterback issues.
London and Bijan are under contract through 2030 and Pitts is through 2028, so right now they have no choice but to remain loyal, and if that meant enduring some brutal QB starts, so be it. But the good news here is that with Penix back, those days are over and the offense will always be respectable. And if he turns things around, they're all here to grow with him.
Either Penix or Tua will get more out of these weapons, but neither of them is firmly entrenched as the long-term answer under center. The most likely outcome is they both get a chance to prove themselves, but the Falcons look to the 2027 NFL Draft to find their franchise guy--and they won't be short on options.
Dante Moore. Arch Manning. Darian Mensah. CJ Carr. Drew Mestemaker. Right now, Atlanta is on pace to be one of the worst teams in the NFL and land Moore or Manning, but even if they don't, they'll get a quality option, and having these three under contract for a young QB will set them up for success.
It doesn't matter how bad the quarterback purgatory gets because all the Atlanta Falcons have to do is find their long-term answer at QB, because once they do, they'll have their fair share of elite weapons to throw to between Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts.
The good news is that Cooper Rush is no more because Michael Penix Jr. is ready to get his guys involved.
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