Central Michigan Professional Athletes

Central Michigan's Week in the NFL: Sept. 20–26

Two Chippewas found themselves at the center of one of the NFL's messiest quarterback controversies in Week 2 — and neither came out of it looking like a solution.

The Rush Collapse

Cooper Rush's tenure as Atlanta's emergency starter is likely over. In Sunday's 34-3 home demolition at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, the Central Michigan product was a disaster from the first snap — literally. Rush fumbled on the opening play, the Panthers recovered, and it went downhill from there. He finished with 86 passing yards, threw two interceptions, and added 20 rushing yards that did nothing to change the outcome. It was his second straight ugly outing after a 20-13 Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh in which he completed just 12 of 22 passes.

Rush was pressed into the starting role with both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa sidelined, but he never gave Atlanta any reason to believe he could hold the fort. An NFL Hall of Famer publicly called for the Falcons to move on. Social media roasted him. The home crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium had already made up its mind well before halftime.

Strand's Moment

That crowd noise crystallized into something else entirely: "We Want Strand" chants — audible, organized, and persistent. Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan, was getting a stadium's worth of goodwill before he ever took a snap.

He eventually got his wish granted. The Falcons benched Rush mid-game and inserted Strand for his NFL debut. The moment was a career first for the young quarterback, but the context — a blowout loss, a shell-shocked offense, and a team in crisis — wasn't exactly ideal for a coming-out party. Strand and the offense continued to struggle, and Atlanta's 0-2 hole only deepened.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that Strand got live NFL reps and the adoration of a fanbase that was ready to hand him the keys after two weeks of Rush. Whether Atlanta views him as anything more than a bridge to Penix Jr.'s return is another question entirely.

The Bigger Picture

Penix Jr. was eventually cleared and named the Week 3 starter for Thursday Night Football, effectively closing the book on the Rush-Strand era. But the damage to Atlanta's record — and perhaps its season outlook — was already done.

For Central Michigan alumni trackers, the week was a study in contrasts: Rush, the veteran, flaming out under the brightest lights; Strand, the rookie, getting his shot in the wreckage. Thomas Incoom (Panthers, LB) was on the other side of the carnage in Carolina's dominant win, though no individual stat line was attached to his performance.

Two Chippewas on the field in the same game. One will want to forget it; the other will remember his debut forever — for better or worse.

Central Michigan's most prominent NFL story this week has a familiar, uncomfortable shape: a quarterback thrust into a crisis not of his making, asked to do it again.

Cooper Rush, the Chippewas' former signal-caller, is set to start his second consecutive game for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers — this time with the full, official confirmation that both Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee) remain unavailable. What was supposed to be a quarterback room featuring two high-profile starters has collapsed into a situation so dire that Cam Newton publicly lobbied for a return from retirement to replace Rush. That's the level of chaos Atlanta is navigating.

A Rough Debut, and a Notorious Pick-6

Rush's Week 1 numbers told a hard story: 143 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 13–20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The low point arrived when Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt — not a defensive back, a linebacker — intercepted Rush at the line of scrimmage and returned it for a pick-6, joining Julius Peppers in rare company as pass rushers with a historic defensive score. It was the kind of play that ends up in highlight reels for all the wrong reasons, and Rush, to his credit, wasn't shy about acknowledging it afterward. Per Sports Illustrated, Rush said he knows what went wrong — though he's less certain about what comes next.

The Depth Chart Shuffle

The Falcons' QB room drama spilled into the practice week, with multiple quarterbacks taking reps and Atlanta's coaching staff leaving the door cracked for alternatives. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand drew legitimate consideration, with some analysts arguing he deserved the Week 2 nod. But by Friday, Rush had taken Atlanta's first-team reps and was confirmed as the starter against Carolina — a decision that drew sharp criticism from at least one corner of the media, with FanSided calling it "unjustifiable."

The broader context is almost absurdly complicated: a trade for Tua that was supposed to resolve Atlanta's QB question, a Penix ACL recovery that pushed him to the sideline, and now an oblique injury sidelining Tagovailoa before he could even take a meaningful snap. Rush — signed as a third-stringer and veteran bridge — is the last man standing.

One silver lining for Rush heading into Week 2: the Panthers aren't exactly a fearsome assignment. Atlanta's offense still features Bijan Robinson, who was the team's lone bright spot in Week 1, and tight end Kyle Pitts, who didn't record a single catch despite generating what film review suggests should have been a 60-yard touchdown — a near-miss that underscores how differently Week 1 could have gone with better execution.

The CMU Connection

Rush is far from the only Central Michigan alum active in the NFL this week, but he's the most visible by a significant margin. Thomas Incoom, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers — Sunday's opponent — was on the field in Week 1 as Carolina absorbed a 37–59 loss to Chicago. The matchup on Sunday will put two CMU products on opposite sidelines, a footnote unlikely to register in the national conversation but notable for Chippewas fans tracking their own.

For now, the story belongs to Rush. Two weeks, two starts, one very long rebuild ahead.

For Central Michigan fans with a soft spot for Detroit, there's good news heading into the 2026 NFL season: Tyler Conklin is staying put.

The former Chippewa tight end is re-signing with the Detroit Lions, per a report from Yahoo Sports NFL, keeping a CMU product embedded in one of the league's most exciting offenses. Conklin, who played college ball in Mount Pleasant before working his way up through the league, gives the Lions flexibility at the tight end position — a unit that has quietly become a key part of Detroit's offensive identity.

It's a fitting homecoming story, even if Conklin never technically left. A Michigan-bred player sticking with a Michigan franchise carries real resonance for a CMU fanbase that doesn't always get to see its alumni in the spotlight. The Lions' decision to bring him back signals that he remains a valued piece of their roster construction, not merely a depth placeholder.

A Scattered but Notable Alumni Footprint

Conklin's re-signing is the headliner, but Central Michigan continues to quietly stock NFL rosters across the league. The Chippewas have 12 active alumni spread across 11 franchises — a testament to the program's ability to develop professional-caliber talent even outside the Power Four spotlight.

Bernhard Raimann holds down the blindside for the Indianapolis Colts at left tackle, continuing to carve out a starting role in the league. Luke Goedeke and Sean Murphy-Bunting are both suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Goedeke protecting the offensive line, Murphy-Bunting in the secondary. Cooper Rush, long one of the more durable backup quarterbacks in the NFL, is now on the Atlanta Falcons roster heading into 2026.

Nick Bellore, one of the longest-tenured CMU alumni still active, remains on the Washington Commanders as a linebacker — a special teams stalwart whose career longevity is its own kind of accomplishment. Lew Nichols III is in Pittsburgh with the Steelers at running back, while Jonathan Ward carries the CMU flag in Baltimore with the Ravens.

Rounding out the list: Troy Hairston (Texans, DE), Julian Hicks (Seahawks, WR), Thomas Incoom (Panthers, LB), and Joel Wilson (Titans, LB) — a geographically diverse group that spans both conferences and every phase of the game.

The Bottom Line

Central Michigan doesn't generate the recruiting headlines of the college football blue bloods, but its NFL alumni map tells a compelling story about program development. Conklin's return to Detroit is the feel-good note of the week, but the broader picture — a dozen Chippewas active across the league — is what should have Mount Pleasant feeling good about the state of its football program as the 2026 season kicks off.