ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton and released backup Cooper Rush on Monday.
Dalton is expected to join Tua Tagovailoa as the top backups to starter Michael Penix Jr. The signing was announced one day after the Falcons' 31-23 loss to Chicago.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said general manager Ian Cunningham “is always looking at ways that we feel like we can add to the roster and Andy was available. So as simple as that.”
Philadelphia released Dalton on Oct. 9 after he threw an interception on his only attempt as Jalen Hurts' backup.
Dalton, 38, was acquired by the Eagles from Carolina, where he made seven starts in three seasons, on March 18.
Dalton was a second-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2011 draft. He made three Pro Bowls during nine seasons with the Bengals and also played for Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans.
Dalton is 84-83-2 as a starter. He has completed 62.6% of his passes for 39,763 yards, 254 touchdowns with 152 interceptions in 16 seasons.
Rush, 32, was 0-2 as Atlanta's starter. He was pressed into the starting role with Penix continuing his recovery from his 2025 knee surgery and with Tagovailoa ruled out with an oblique injury. In the losses to Carolina and Pittsburgh to open the season, Rush completed 22 of 39 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
Penix has started the past four games for the Falcons (2-4), who play San Francisco on Sunday.
Tagovailoa likely will remain the No. 2 quarterback against the 49ers.
“I think at this point we’re just trying to get Andy up to speed,” Stefanski said. “He’s learning people’s names and learning the system. So all those types of things we’ll work through. But very pleased with that group in total.”
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FILE - Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton arrives before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Philadelphia, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
FILE - Philadelphia Eagles' Andy Dalton plays during a preseason NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals, Aug. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
The parents of one of three children killed in last week's shooting at an elementary school in Oregon have hired attorneys to investigate the school's protocols and how the teenage gunman got his weapon.
Rhoam Summer, 5, was one of three children killed along with a teacher in the attack Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, a mountain-ringed city of about 100,000 in central Oregon. The other two children killed were ages 8 and 11, and a fourth student and another teacher were wounded, police have said.
The attorneys announced the investigation Saturday, saying it will probe various issues, such as whether the school had an active shooter protocol in place and how the gunman, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, acquired the 12-gauge pump-action shotgun police say he used and where it was originally purchased.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said Friday that the school district has “invested heavily” in security cameras, door locks, fencing and other security measures.
“We practice lockdowns with students and staff twice a year at every school,” Cook said. “Rest assured, we will take a hard look at everything that we have done, and what more needs to be done to ensure that our students, our staff and our families are safe in our schools.”
Rhoam's parents, Kelik and Lillian Summer, initially hired attorneys Friday to handle media interview requests, Tim Williams, a personal injury attorney in Bend and co-lead counsel for the parents, said in a phone interview. The boy's parents released their own statement remembering their son as strong and kind with a love for rainbows and unicorns along with sharks and dinosaurs.
“He was 5 years old,” the statement said. “He wanted to go to the pumpkin patch, learn to ride horses, learn to play an instrument, and be a bunny for Halloween.”
Of interest is how the shooter, a minor, accessed his weapon, Williams said.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting last week told The Associated Press the shooter’s gun was bought by his mother. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
“We don’t know if the shooter’s mother qualified to own a firearm. We don’t know whether or not the dealer was aware that the firearm was being bought for a minor,” Williams said, adding that there are “various issues there we’re trying to suss out.”
Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent.
The attacker’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, has not responded to messages from The Associated Press. Nickerson on Friday told some reporters outside her apartment near the school that if she could have done something to prevent the shooting, she would have.
Police said John got into the school by shooting through locked doors. Authorities said he was not currently enrolled in the Bend-La Pine district but had once been a special needs student at the school.
Williams said they are trying to determine whether the school district is “liable or not.” If it is liable, he added, they'd try to “work with the school district to come to some sort of conclusion, you know, and resolution, ideally safeguarding this from happening again in the future.”
Classes and activities were suspended Monday and Tuesday across the district. No reopening plan has been announced for Silver Rail.
Kelety reported from Phoenix.
Police caution tape surrounds Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Ore., Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, a day after a deadly shooting. (AP Photo/Joe Kline)
