The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback room seems to be pretty set in stone with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa competing to be QB1 in camp. But behind those two, the QB room has left a lot to be desired, so Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham took a shot on an undrafted rookie to complete the room.
They didn't use a draft pick on any QBs, but after the 2026 NFL Draft, the Falcons signed Minnesota State-Morehead quarterback Jack Strand as an undrafted free agent. And if you remember, Atlanta hosted Strand on a 30 visit before the draft, so signing him doesn't feel like much of a coincidence.
If anything, this move feels like a pattern, or a sign of what's to come. Both Penix and Tagovailoa, while talented, come with a lengthy injury history, so bringing in Strand feels like insurance for Kevin Stefanski's offense should the former's recovery take too long, or god forbid one of them get injured.
Jack Strand could become a household name after signing with the Falcons
The 21-year-old was one of the best signal-callers in Division II these last few years. He was a Harlon Hill Trophy nominee (the D2 Heisman) in each of his final three college seasons, including a 3,542-passing yard, 42-touchdown senior season, which saw him add an extra five scores on the ground.
At nearly 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Strand has the size and the arm talent to be a NFL quality backup, but the first step towards that is getting an opportunity. He'll get a chance to compete with Trevor Siemian to be the QB3 job in camp, but beating out Siemian, let alone Penix or Tua will be a tall task.
Remember, this is an UDFA with no Division I experience, so he's not expected to set the world on fire overnight. So, he's very much a work in progress, but as someone that this offensive staff can potential But Strand's 13,161 passing yards in his career rank 10th in Division-II history, and he threw for 126 touchdowns (and ran for nine more) across his four seasons starting for MSU-Morehead.
Being a guy who will compete to be the QB3 sounds minuscule, but you have to remember that Penix and Tagovailoa are both injury prone. Penix is still getting over his knee injury, and Tua has only played a full 17-game season once in his career, so it'd be foolish to trust Siemian as the lone emergency QB.
His spot on the roster is far from guaranteed, but as a hidden gem being developed by Stefanski, Tommy Rees, and Alex Van Pelt, it's intriguing to see what Strand can become in Atlanta.
Add us as a preferred source on Google