Undrafted quarterback has a chance to lock in surprise Falcons roster spot

After one preseason game, the Atlanta Falcons opted to cut Nathan Rourke and re-sign quarterback John Paddock. The move doesn't come as a surprise as Atlanta's search for their emergency quarterback continues.

There is no questioning who Atlanta's starter and backup quarterbacks are. Despite the fan excitement over Michael Penix Jr., this is Kirk Cousins' team and Penix is firmly in the backup role. While this traditionally would have been the end of the quarterback debate the NFL has changed this.

After one NFL playoff game that saw Christian McCaffrey forced to play quarterback all teams are allowed an emergency third option. That quarterback will not count as a part of your active roster and can only be used if the team suffers injuries at the position. It is a great idea that is going to continue a lot of careers and likely give us at least one surprise quarterback development story in the near future.

For Atlanta, what the rule offers is for John Paddock to come in and show why he is a part of the team's plan moving forward. While the fact the team cut him for Rourke isn't promising the front office has made consistently questionable moves at the quarterback position.

Paddock has a chance to lock up his role as Atlanta's emergency option

The undrafted free agent is going to get a chance to play on Saturday and show why he is deserving of the final roster spot at quarterback. Atlanta taking on a developmental player or a short-yardage weapon is their only path at the position.

Taylor Heinicke shouldn't have factored into their plans and with Penix and Cousins already on the roster there is a level of security. Paddock spent time at Illinois and Ball State. Neither landing spot was terribly impressive for the current Falcon.

However, considering what we watched in the first week of preseason from Heinicke and Rourke the bar is incredibly low. It would be almost impossible for Paddock not to be an improvement and give himself a chance at locking up the final spot at quarterback.