5 Eye popping decisions on Atlanta Falcons final 53-man roster

1. Taylor Heinicke making the final roster and being traded one day later

Taylor Heinicke making Atlanta's final roster is easily the biggest shock of their series of moves. The veteran quarterback did nothing in the preseason to earn a spot or to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the backup role.

The motive was obvious with Atlanta quickly striking a deal for a late-round draft pick on Wednesday for the quarterback. Still, burning a roster spot for Heinicke and keeping the veteran as long as they did was surprising.

Atlanta would have been wiser to use this spot for a more deserving player and add another emergency quarterback option. The money you have tied up in Penix and Kirk Cousins makes it impossible for Henicke to have stayed with the team and the veteran would have been a wise cut at the start of the offseason.

Even if injuries were to occur to both players fans would be far more interested in a project quarterback in the preseason and throughout camp. We have seen Heinicke consistently fail both last season in the biggest moments and in the meaningless preseason games. Both served as examples of why the veteran quarterback shouldn't have been on Atlanta's final roster. There were far better and cheaper options for the emergency QB role Atlanta should have brought on.