Andy Dalton picks Falcons over Eagles, Cooper Rush cut

Ten days after Philadelphia cut him, the 39-year-old is back in the league, and it isn't with the team that called first.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Veteran free-agent QB Andy Dalton is signing with the Atlanta Falcons, per sources.

To get why the Eagles wanted him back, look at their week. They released Dalton on Oct. 9. Then Jalen Hurts went down indefinitely, and the depth chart turned into Tanner McKee, rookie Cole Payton and Joe Milton, who they pulled off the Cowboys' practice squad. McKee got the start against Carolina and it didn't go well.

Jeff McLane

@Jeff_McLane

My #Eagles grades after losing streak extends to four with a 25-14 defeat to the Panthers: *Offense remains disjointed amid injuries *Tanner McKee hangs in there in relief of Jalen Hurts *Defense and special teams struggle and succumb Much more here: t.co/cOmvMJbHEb

So Philly picked up the phone, and Dalton reportedly said no thanks, politely. Think about that for a second. A 16-year veteran who'd been unemployed for over a week looked at a team on a 4-game skid with its franchise QB hurt, a job he probably would have played in, and passed. Nick Sirianni is out here saying "everything's on the table" after the Panthers loss, and the guy he just cut didn't want a seat at it.

He went to Atlanta instead, and the Falcons released Cooper Rush the same day. Rush got signed at the start of camp when Atlanta's quarterbacks were banged up and started the first 2 games of the season: 22-of-39 for 229 yards, 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions. Once Michael Penix Jr. was back in Week 3, Rush slid to emergency No. 3, and now he's gone. Even with Rush out, the room is still crowded.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Cooper Rush is out, so Falcons still keeping four QBs on their 53, for now at least.

Those 4 are Penix, Tua Tagovailoa, Jack Strand and Dalton. Yes, Tua is a Falcon now, and that's where this gets interesting. Dalton comes in at the bottom of the depth chart, but Atlanta didn't sign a guy with 169 career starts just to have him hold a clipboard behind Strand.

ProFootballTalk

@ProFootballTalk

Andy Dalton arrives as QB3 in Atlanta. Before long, he could jump past Tua Tagovailoa into job as the primary backup to Michael Penix Jr. t.co/QYqcX8kbtf

The Athletic's Jonathan Jones reports Dalton will compete with Tua for the job backing up Penix. On paper, Dalton has the résumé: 3 Pro Bowls in Cincinnati, 39,793 career passing yards, 254 touchdowns, 14 starts for the Saints in 2022 and 3 seasons in Carolina from 2023-25 before the Panthers traded him to Philly in March. His Eagles stint lasted exactly 1 pass, and it got picked. He's also nearly done with the whole division now.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Andy Dalton had a year in New Orleans and three in Carolina, so in landing in Atlanta, he's missing just one NFC South stop now. #finitystones

So here's what to watch. Does Tua actually keep the QB2 job, or does a 39-year-old who's seen every coverage in the league pass him by the time Penix needs a sub? Does Atlanta keep 4 quarterbacks on the 53 or cut one more? And in Philly, every McKee start for as long as Hurts is out is going to come with a reminder that the veteran insurance they tried to bring back chose the Falcons instead.