The Falcons’ quarterback room already looks unusual on paper, and a new NFL.com prediction turns that odd setup into something a lot more alarming for Atlanta.
Week 1 starter Tua Tagovailoa, rehabbing Michael Penix Jr., veteran Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand give the Falcons a four-man mix that feels unstable before a snap is even thrown. Strand, out of Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, was one of the surprises of camp and the preseason, and that earned him a spot on the 53-man roster.
Now NFL.com’s Grant Gordon is projecting that Strand won’t just hang around as a developmental arm. In his 2026 bold predictions, Gordon said Strand will end up taking over as Atlanta’s starter and make more starts than both Penix and Tagovailoa.
“Atlanta will see Strand end the season with more starts than Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa,” Gordon wrote. Strand will start more than half the campaign for Atlanta, showing some promise, but not enough to dissuade the Falcons from plucking a quarterback in the talent-rich 2027 NFL Draft.
That’s the kind of prediction that doesn’t exactly calm anybody down in Atlanta. It’s not really a shot at Strand’s talent, either. In fact, that’s what makes it so interesting.
With Tagovailoa working through an injury and Penix not yet cleared for full team work, Strand handled most of the first-team reps on the opening day of camp. The Falcons got an early look, and the moment didn’t swallow him.
So the issue isn’t that Strand starting would automatically mean disaster. It could mean Atlanta found something in the 22-year-old. The real problem is what would have to go wrong for that to happen.
The Falcons’ decision to keep four quarterbacks said plenty on its own. They clearly don’t have full confidence in the health or consistency of the passers ahead of Strand, and Cunningham put it plainly when he described the setup as “a little bit of an insurance policy.”
For Gordon’s prediction to come true, Penix and Tagovailoa would likely have to miss time and/or fall short of holding the job. Rush would also need to fail in the role Atlanta brought him in to fill. At that point, the Falcons would be staring at some uncomfortable answers about their quarterback plan.
There is still a version of this where Atlanta comes out ahead. Strand could turn out to be a real NFL quarterback.
His preseason showing could carry over. The Falcons might stumble into a solution at the most important position on the roster.
But Gordon’s call is really about necessity, not celebration. In his scenario, Strand gets pushed into the lineup because the other options don’t work out, and Atlanta ends up back in the 2027 quarterback market.
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