The Atlanta Falcons have not one, but two different quarterback dilemmas on their hands. And you might be wondering how that's possible, but don't sell this franchise short. Since Matt Ryan was traded, their QB woes have been so bad they would've been better off starting Johnny Utah at QB1.
Of course, there's the wide open competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback. But we don't even know how the rest of the depth chart will look, as the Falcons have free agent acquisition Trevor Siemian and UDFA Jack Strand battling to be the QB3.
On paper, Siemian should have the advantage. Not only is his $1.3 million base salary is the same as Tagovailoa's, he has the more established track record. The 34-year-old spent a decade as a journeyman and 33 starts under his belt, while Strand enters the NFL without a lick of D1 experience.
Jack Strand has been one of the biggest winners of Falcons minicamp
However, that hasn't stopped Strand from quickly developing a cult following among Falcons fans. If you look on Twitter, there is a larger-than-expected portion of the fanbase that has expected Kevin Stefanski to develop him into the future after he showed some big flashes throughout the offseason.
While Siemian was sidelined during mandatory minicamp due to injury, the 22-year-old took advantage of the extra reps. And when Penix Jr. had a scheduled rest day during the early portion of OTAs, he again capitalized, making some nice throws to Zachariah Branch and Dylan Drummond.
If you've seen him throw either in college or during OTAs, it's clear the MSU-Morehead product is a coachable talent. He shattered program records and was nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy (D2 Heisman) in each of his final three college seasons and was the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year.
The track record has to be graded on a curve because Division II numbers are not the same as D1, but Atlanta clearly sees something in him. They hosted him on a visit before the draft and seem to believe he will offer this QB room something new.
The Dirty Birds are molding Strand into someone who could be in their long-term plans. The undrafted rookie has the size (6-foot-4, 243 pounds), the accuracy, and arm talent to be a quality NFL backup. The reason fans are so excited about him is because of what Stefanski can get out of him.
It'll be an uphill battle for Jack Strand to make the roster over Trevor Siemian, but even if he doesn't, the Falcons are likely to keep him on the practice squad and allow Stefanski and this staff to continue developing him. But after a solid showing in the early summer, he's making it hard for them to cut bait.
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