Atlanta Falcons rookie QB Jack Strand has played well enough through two preseason games to make the Falcons' decision at QB3 difficult… After Saturday's 34-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the idea of simply putting Strand on the practice squad feels a lot riskier.
Strand has played too well to risk stashing on the practice squad, and The Falcoholic's Kevin Knight posed an interested question: could Atlanta decide to keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster?
That would be an unusual roster decision, but Strand is giving the Falcons a reason to consider it. Even further, Kevin Stefanski's Browns carried four quarterbacks on their Week 1 roster last season in Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Strand entered training camp as a long shot. The Falcons already had Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. competing for the starting job, while Cooper Rush was signed shortly before camp to provide veteran depth.
Rush has spent eight seasons in the NFL and has appeared in 42 games, giving him an obvious advantage in experience. Atlanta signed him after Trevor Siemian was released and both Tagovailoa and Penix were dealing with limitations at the start of camp.
Strand was initially just trying to take advantage of whatever reps were available. He ended up taking a lot of them. The rookie even received extensive first team work early in camp because of the injuries affecting Atlanta's other quarterbacks.
The Atlanta Falcons already have four quarterbacks on the roster - Tagovailoa, Penix, Rush and Strand. Keeping all four into the regular season would take a roster spot away from another position, which is why it would be a difficult decision.
But cutting Strand creates its own problem. If Atlanta believes he has legitimate developmental potential, the team could try to put him on the practice squad. The problem is that another team could claim him before the Falcons get the chance to develop him themselves.
Of course, two preseason games don't really mean much. The competition level and game circumstances matter, and Rush still has years of NFL experience that Strand simply doesn't have.
But Atlanta didn't expect to have this particular problem when camp opened. The Falcons signed Rush specifically to add another veteran to the quarterback room, while Strand entered the summer as an undrafted rookie fighting for a chance.
Now Strand has made the Falcons think twice about what they want to do with him. The QB3 competition was already something head coach Kevin Stefanski identified as an open battle between Rush and Strand. After Saturday, it looks even harder to predict.
That's the problem Jack Strand has created. And honestly, it's a pretty good problem for Atlanta to have.
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