NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Rush will start Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the same time, Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) was deemed doubtful to play, and Michael Penix (knee) was ruled out for Week 2 action, per Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site. Rush got the Week 1 nod under center with both Tagovailoa and Penix sidelined, but he didn't fare too well through the air, completing 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while getting sacked four times.

Tagovailoa (oblique) is doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Tagovailoa likely will join Michael Penix (knee) on the sideline this weekend, while coach Kevin Stefanski announced Cooper Rush as Atlanta's starting quarterback for a second straight week, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. As for Tagovailoa, he hasn't been able to practice since sustaining a strained oblique last Thursday,Sept. 10 and likely will need to do so in order to put himself in a position to be available for next Thursday's road matchup with the Packers.

Penix (knee) won't play in Sunday's game against the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) is listed as doubtful to play, leaving coach Kevin Stefanski to announce Cooper Rush as Atlanta's starting QB for a second contest in a row to kick off the campaign, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Penix has been listed as a full participant in practice going back to last week, and while he's told Falcons media that he feels "really close" to his first game action since tearing his left ACL last November, he still has "some goals" that he needs to meet. Penix's next chance for game action is next Thursday at Green Bay.

Murray (concussion) was present for the start of Friday's practice, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

This marks three consecutive practices for Murray in the wake of suffering a concussion during a Week 1 win against the Packers, though in the first two Wednesday and Thursday, he was a limited participant in both. Even if Murray logs a full practice Friday, he'll still need to gain clearance from an independent neurologist to be able to play Sunday at Chicago. If that doesn't happen, Murray will yield starting duties to backup QB Carson Wentz.

Bowers (knee) was seen during the open portion of Friday's practice, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

This marks Bowers' first notable on-field work since undergoing a meniscus trim in his left knee on Tuesday, Sept. 8. It's unclear if he'll do much more than take part in the team stretch and perhaps individual drills, but it's at least a sign of progress in his recovery. Ultimately, Friday's injury report will reveal if Bowers has a chance to play Sunday at the Chargers.

Okonkwo (hamstring) won't play Sunday at Dallas, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Okonkwo didn't practice this week but was spotted with the rehab group Friday. He left Washington's Week 1 contest late in the third quarter, which allowed John Bates to play 70 percent of snaps in the fourth quarter (Ben Sinnott took 45 percent, while Colson Yankoff played only five percent). Bates figures to again play the most snaps Week 2 at Dallas, but he may be subbed out for Sinnott or Yankoff in some passing situations.

Coker (ankle) doesn't have a game designation for Sunday's matchup against Atlanta after participating fully in Friday's practice.

Coker didn't miss a beat last Sunday after rolling his ankle in the first quarter, and he's now managed a full practice after being limited the previous two days. He played 95 percent of Carolina's snaps Week 1 prior to sitting out the final drive in garbage time.

Rush is expected to start Week 2 against Carolina after taking the Falcons' first-team reps Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tua Tagovailoa (back) hasn't practiced this week, and Michael Penix (knee) apparently isn't ready to play. Rush completed just 12 of 22 pass attempts in Sunday's 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh despite sending 10 of those passes to RB Bijan Robinson, who accounted for 65.8 percent of the team's yards from scrimmage.

Burrow (back) was a full participant in Friday's practice and feels good, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

With back tightness having limited Burrow earlier in the week, his return to a full practice is a positive sign ahead of Sunday's game at Houston. Coach Zac Taylor didn't mention if Burrow will carry an injury designation, but the final injury report will reveal that Friday afternoon.

Flowers (hamstring) is practicing Friday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

After missing Baltimore's first two practices of the week, Flowers is giving it a go at the final session. He'll likely be listed as a limited participant, with Zrebiec reporting that Flowers "didn't appear to be doing much" during the early portion of practice.