Andy Dalton Signs With Falcons, Cooper Rush Released

Andy Dalton has a new home. The Falcons signed the veteran quarterback and released Cooper Rush on Monday, 10 days after the Eagles cut Dalton loose on Oct. 9.

Dalton will compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the backup job behind starter Michael Penix Jr., The Athletic's Jonathan Jones first reported. Atlanta is still carrying four quarterbacks: Penix, Tagovailoa, Dalton and undrafted rookie Jack Strand.

Why the Falcons made the Andy Dalton move

Atlanta's quarterback room has been banged up all season. Rush started the first two games with Penix (ACL) and Tagovailoa (oblique) both out, and the Falcons scored a combined 16 points in those games, the fewest in the league. Rush went 22 of 39 for 229 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in those starts, then served as the emergency third quarterback once Penix returned in Week 3.

The depth got tested again in Week 5. Penix left the loss to the Ravens with a rib injury, and Tagovailoa came on in overtime and threw the game-ending interception. Penix was back Sunday in a 31-23 loss to the Bears. He was sacked five times but said he came out healthy and his ribs weren't an issue.

"It's special being an opening day starter no matter how you get there," Rush said after his Week 1 start. "It was a cool moment for me personally."

What Dalton brings

Dalton is in his 16th NFL season with 169 career starts and 84 wins as a starter. He has thrown for 39,793 yards with 254 touchdowns and 152 interceptions while completing 62.6% of his passes. The Bengals took him in the second round in 2011, and he made three Pro Bowls in Cincinnati (2011, 2014, 2016).

He started 14 games for the Saints in 2022, then spent 2023 through 2025 in Carolina, where he made seven starts. This year he won the Eagles' backup job over Tanner McKee out of camp but threw just one pass, an interception, before Philadelphia released him.

The timing in Philly stings in hindsight. On the same Monday Dalton signed in Atlanta, the Eagles disclosed that Jalen Hurts has blood clots in his lungs, and Hurts is now expected to miss the rest of the season.

Up next for the Falcons

Atlanta hosts the 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 25 (1 p.m. ET, FOX). The plan is for Dalton to hold a clipboard. Keep Penix upright behind that line and it stays that way.