FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - The Atlanta Falcons have gone through free agency, the NFL Draft, rookie minicamp, OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and training camp, and they finally get to open the 2026 season against the Denver Broncos on Friday for preseason game one. The quarterback battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. was settled by default for the matchup against the Broncos. Penix hasn't been fully cleared for contact, and head coach Kevin Stefanski named Tagovailoa the starter for Friday night's game. Stefanski also said he plans to play the starters at least one series, and maybe more depending on the player, a drastic change over recent years when Arthur Smith treated the preseason with disdain and Raheem Morris tried to avoid them altogether.The Falcons were in a short session on Wednesday, in their last full practice before Friday (Thursday is a walk-through). Here are some of the key things we saw and learned, other than the starting quarterback.Beyond TuaCooper Rush will be the next man up after Tagovailoa's game is finished. Undrafted free agent rookie Jack Strand will finish the game. Rush joined the team on the first day of training camp, and Strand had gotten a lot of action with Penix and Tagovailoa limited, but has seen that scaled back in recent days with Rush taking more snaps with the No. 2 offense. Who's Out?Second-year edge rusher is the only serious injury of the preseason, but there have been several players missing from action this week. Safety Jessie Bates, edge rusher Bralen Trice, linebacker Divine Deablo, defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand, and cornerback Avieon Terrell have all been held out of action. It would be a surprise to see any of them on Friday.Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor was on the field Wednesday, and Zach Harrison has been a full participant this week. Taylor likely won't play on Friday, but we may see some snaps from Harrison. Who Steps Up?With Deablo out, rookie linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. have seen extensive time working with what we would call the first-team defense. Safety Sydney Brown was acquired in a trade before the draft and should see plenty of time along with veteran DeMarcco Hellams. Jake Matthews had a veteran rest day on Wednesday, and Michael Jerrell saw all of his reps at left tackle. Jerrell had been part of a rotation at right tackle that has also included rookie Ethan Onianwa and Brandon Walton. All three players should see extensive action against the Broncos.Nickel has been the other position that's seen a lot of rotation, including Terrell. With Terrell out and Brown seeing more time at safety, it's a chance for A.J. Woods and Darnay Holmes to hoover up the bulk of the reps. Special Teams Looking SpecialThey were helped by a stiff wind at their backs, but punters Jake Bailey and Matthew Hayball were routinely hitting 60+ yard punts inside the 10-yard line. Bailey will be the team's punter this year, and when they moved to midfield, Bailey still showed good placement on his short punts. Rookie Zachariah Branch should get his first chance to return punts and kicks against a live defense this week. He's looked electric as a wide receiver, but the team has been going through the motions in kick returns and coverage. Welcome Back RobinsonNo, not that one, and probably not the other one you're thinking of either. Safety Jammie Robinson was back on the field for the first time. He had a nice interception on a tipped pass from Tua Tagovailoa. The quarterback extended the play, then extended it some more in what likely would have been a tackle-or-throw-away situation in a real game, before throwing into traffic that included Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Robinson came down with the ball and will hope to push for a spot on the 53-man roster. What's Next?The Falcons will have a walk-through at Flowery Branch on Thursday before taking on the Broncos on Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Long-time Falcons tormentor Sean Payton brings a strong Broncos squad to Atlanta, and he has typically played a lot of starters in the preseason as well.The Falcons had 44 of 90 players on one-year, or the last year, of their contracts, and competition should be fierce despite the generally blase nature of preseason games. Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us and 30,000 Falcons fans on Facebook and X for the latest news!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow