CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers are in an unusual situation this week. As injuries raise questions in Atlanta about who will start at quarterback for the Falcons, the Panthers have to create game plans and prepare while not only being unsure of who the Falcons QB will be Sunday, but also having to plan for four different possibilities.

Granted, it's a conundrum for both teams as the Falcons weigh Michael Penix Jr. (coming off an ACL tear from Week 11 of 2025), Tua Tagovailoa (oblique), Cooper Rush (back spasms), and Jack Strand (a UDFA rookie who hasn't played in a regular-season NFL game). While Tagovailoa is still listed as the first-team passer on the Falcons depth chart, it was Rush and Penix who split first-team reps in practice on Wednesday.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told Atlanta reporters on Wednesday, "I'd say we're working through it. I'm not ruling anyone out. Tua is not going to practice today, though he's getting better. Cooper and Mike will practice today, so we'll work through it."

In Charlotte, that means creating a game plan that focuses more on Stefanski's offense as a whole, rather than what one particular passer does individually.

"I wouldn't say we really specifically prepared for one over the other," said safety Nick Scott. "Their offensive scheme is what it is. We're just going to go off of the tape and the scheme that they put out thus far, and then, not too much really changes from a quarterback standpoint other than the rush plan, given each quarterback's ability out of the pocket."

It echoed much of what his head coach had said earlier in the day.

"We just have to look at the history of Kevin Stefanski's offenses and what he values and what he's trying to get done," said Canales.

What typically makes preparing for different quarterbacks so difficult is the rushing component. If one quarterback is a mobile, dual-threat passer, while the other is a pure pocket passer, they require two completely different plans. When every possible player colors within the same lines, though, it can be more about honing in on concepts versus tendencies.

"The good part is no singular quarterback that they have is kind of a standout in terms of being a runner," explained Canales. "Where when you have pocket passers, and these are all quarterbacks that I think are good quarterbacks, and, certainly, Tua, we've seen Michael Penix play at his best, and Cooper Rush, who's been around a long time. So these are guys that can really operate.

"As a former quarterbacks coach, I value what they can do. There isn't a dynamic of the zone-read type of element, a guy that kind of creates that extra special element. So we can really treat the system and the offense true to the integrity of what Coach Stefanski is trying to get done."

Still, some defenders might want to see certain passers more than others, even if the reasons are more friendly and personal. For example, pass rusher Jaelan Phillips spent years in Miami with Tagovailoa. He wasn't allowed to sack his own quarterback in practice. Years of having a red flag waved in front of him have amped up the anticipation that it might finally happen.

"Well, I've never actually gotten to tackle Tua, because I've gone against him in camp for years. I did tackle him in the Army All-American game in high school," Phillips was quick to add, "but other than that, I'll be excited. If he does play, that'll be fire. I love lefty quarterbacks too because it gives me a better opportunity to strip sack, but yeah, I mean it'll be cool."

For what it's worth, Tagovailoa and Penix are both left-handed passers.

"I think obviously with left-handed quarterbacks they have different escape tendencies. They have different release points. They have different drop depths," added Phillips. "So I mean it's — they're pretty accurate for their own personal patterns, so you learn each quarterback and then just prepare for that."

Rush, in his Week 1 start against the Steelers, went 12-of-22 for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Penix originally told coaches last week he didn't feel 100 percent after rehabbing and first entering practice in mid-August.

As the Falcons continue to evaluate all of their options, so to will the Panthers. And regardless of who steps on the field Sunday, the goal doesn't change.

Said Phillips, "Whoever they have, we're going to prepare for them and go out there and execute."

Canales confident in Jalen Coker

Wide receiver Jalen Coker was listed as limited on the injury report on Wednesday, after rolling his ankle in Sunday's game.

Coker said on Monday, as he was asked about the protective walking boot on his left foot, that it was just precautionary and not a big deal.

"Yeah, I'm confident we'll get him," Canales said after practice. "We'll ramp him up a little bit. He was able to do a little something in team today, had an extended warm-up on the side, got him going. He's been getting treated. We were able to get him out there for a couple of snaps on some things we're looking for him to execute.

"The hope is to ramp that up a little bit more tomorrow and then cut him loose Friday. So I expect him to play on Sunday."

With Coker missing some snaps, they used John Metchie III in that spot.

The offense was also without tight end Darren Waller, but the 34-year-old was just getting a veteran rest day.

Not finished with Jimmy Horn Jr.

Canales said after practice the hope was to bring wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. back to the practice squad, after he was waived on Tuesday. They needed the roster spot to hang onto linebacker Tyrel Dodson. who was signed from the practice squad rather than risk losing him to another team.

"Yeah, the roster spot drove it," Canales said. "But certainly, for Jimmy, we had a great conversation. He and I, Dan (Morgan), talked about it and wanted to make sure that he understood we see the progress that he's making, we see the strides, and right now, with what the roster was doing, I didn't want him to go in the tank and be discouraged.

"We want him to come back. We want him to be here on the practice squad because he brings a lot to what we can do, and this isn't the end of that story; this is just a part of it, and right now we have to make the best decisions. I have to make those hard decisions along with Dan to make sure we get guys out there that we feel confident with."

Opportunity for John Metchie on returns

Metchie will likely step in to Horn's spot on returns this week, with Horn no longer on the roster, and Trevor Etienne on injured reserve.

Metchie has returned seven kicks in his career and no punts, but he's the guy who is available at the moment.

"It's a valuable position," Canales said of returners. "And it certainly is an opportunity to — there's all that hidden yardage that happens when it's fielded cleanly. You certainly can't turn the ball over, but when it's fielded cleanly, when a guy can transition quickly, those yards stack up. When there's hesitation, when things aren't hit the right way, it's 8 yards, it's 10 yards, all of that matters. So all the hidden yardage in the return game is super valuable, and you could see why teams invest in having that returner that they can count on.

"Trevor's our guy. Unfortunately, he's not with us right now, but in the meantime we have guys that we can count on that we'll be able to be good with."

Fond memories of Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Bryce Young's no-look touchdown to Tommy Tremble in Atlanta in 2024 will get a lot of run this week, and it remains one of the quarterback's most iconic plays.

But that's not what Canales referenced first when asked about going back to Georgia.

"I remember Miles Sanders," he said with a grin, knowing that's not where most people would start.

Sanders had missed the previous six games with an ankle injury, and wasn't in the team's long-term plans after they extended running back Chuba Hubbard earlier in the year. (Sanders would eventually be released the following March.)

But he came back to play the season finale with no playoff berth at stake, and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

"I remember it was kind of up in the air whether he was going to play, and I wasn't gonna force him to," Canales said. "I wasn't going to push him in that direction. It was all up to Miles, and I give credit to the guys in the locker room. They all talked together, and Miles wanted to get out there with his teammates one more time and, in fitting fashion, to be able to run the ball in and to see the guys just celebrate, and it was a special moment.

"Because that's what I picture. That's my dream for our locker room: that it's a group of guys that love playing for each other, and sure, the coaches were involved, and we spent a lot of time together. But the connection, camaraderie, that was a big stride for us as a program, to be able to put a game together and to see us play the way that I know we can play when we do things right, when we play with our style and the physicality and all those things. So, it was something good for us to just put a pin in and say, guys, this is Panthers football. This is how we can finish, this is how we can do things, and that helped us along the way."