Quarterback injuries are piling up for the Atlanta Falcons, but their new head coach Kevin Stefanski hinted at a secret backup plan for the Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As the Falcons prepare to take on the Steelers this Sunday, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported Stefanski said Atlanta will "have an emergency third quarterback" in Week 1, but didn't reveal who this mysterious player could be. Raimondi also added that the Falcons don't need to have an emergency third quarterback designation if that player is already on the active roster.
A little clarification here. A team does not need to have a designated emergency third QB if that person is on the active roster.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 11, 2026
That brings us to who the emergency quarterback may actually be, and there's
actually one surprising name that makes a lot of sense: wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
Zaccheaus, who returned to Atlanta in 2026 for a second stint, was actually cross-trained as an emergency quarterback by then-head coach Arthur Smith. Considering the Falcons don't have any quarterbacks on their practice squad and only have Cooper Rush and Jack Strand on the 53-man roster, Zaccheaus could realistically serve as the emergency QB against Pittsburgh.
With Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. ruled out for Sunday's game, in addition to Rush, Strand, and potentially Zaccheaus as the final options, the Steelers won't have any excuses for not walking out of Week 1 with a win.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Falcons hint at secret emergency QB plan for Week 1 vs. Steelers
