A strong preseason showing from Jack Strand has put the Falcons in an interesting spot, and one former NFL quarterback thinks Atlanta should make the quarterback situation even messier.
On Saturday, the Falcons rolled past the Indianapolis Colts 34-6 on the road, with Strand turning heads by throwing for 212 yards on 12-of-17 passing. He added a touchdown and did not throw an interception, the kind of outing that can quickly change how a team views its depth chart.
That has led to speculation that Atlanta could decide to carry four quarterbacks into the season rather than expose Strand to waivers and risk losing him for nothing. Dan Orlovsky, now an ESPN analyst, pushed the idea even further with a specific target in mind.
“The @AtlantaFalcons should try and trade a late pick for Stetson Bennett,” noted Orlovsky on X, formerly Twitter.
A move for Bennett would likely go over well with a chunk of the Falcons fanbase that also roots for the Georgia Bulldogs, where Bennett won two national championships earlier in the decade.
Bennett has not appeared in a regular-season game for the Rams, but he has flashed in preseason action, including this year.
Atlanta already appears to have some depth at the position, but Strand’s performance may force the team to make a tougher decision. If he doesn’t stick on the 53-man roster, the Falcons could try to stash him on the practice squad - and hope another team doesn’t swoop in.
There’s still uncertainty around the health of Michael Penix Jr. and the viability of Tua Tagovailoa as the starter, so the Falcons seem intent on keeping their options open as the new season approaches. Atlanta opens the year on September 13.
In Other News...
Simone Biles Turned Falcons-Colts Into A Sideline Talking Point
Simone Biles appearance at the Colts preseason game against the Falcons added a little extra star power to an otherwise routine August matchup. She was there to support her husband, safety Jonathan Owens, who signed a one-year deal with Indianapolis in March and handled the kind of quiet opening-night workload that usually gets lost in the shuffle of preseason football.
For Atlanta, the sightline mattered as much as the snap counts. Biles has been back in the public eye after recovering from a serious health emergency that required hospitalization, and her presence on the sideline turned a standard exhibition game into a talking point well beyond the box score. Owens finished with one tackle, but the bigger moment may have been the attention his wife brought to a game the Falcons otherwise would have moved past quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Trade Is Creating A Defensive Ripple Few Fans Saw Coming
Sydney Brown has already turned into one of the more intriguing additions in Falcons camp after Atlanta brought him over from Philadelphia in a trade that also sent multiple draft picks back the other way. The safety has flashed at both safety and nickel cornerback, giving the coaching staff a versatile piece to sort through as the team continues sorting out its defensive back end.
Ian Cunninghams deal may be producing even more value than Atlanta first expected, thanks to the draft capital that came back in the package. Those picks became Harold Perkins Jr. and Kendal Daniels, and both have made early impressions during training camp and preseason work, creating a ripple effect that has quietly added competition and depth across the defense. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Backups Just Changed The Feel Of Several Roster Battles
The Falcons left Indianapolis with a preseason win and, just as important, a deeper look at the players trying to pry open roster spots. After a week of joint practices, Atlantas backups carried plenty of the load in a 34-6 victory over the Colts, with Tyler Goodson bursting for a 49-yard rushing touchdown and both Cooper Rush and Jack Strand directing scoring drives. For a roster in the middle of sorting out its depth, that kind of showing can matter as much as the final score.
Atlantas defense helped keep the night firmly in the Falcons control, holding Indianapolis under 200 yards and out of the end zone. Those kinds of performances tend to sharpen competition on the fringes of the roster, especially when reserves make the case that they can handle more than just late-game snaps. The broader picture now is less about the preseason result itself and more about which of these performances will carry real weight when the team has to make its cuts. [Read more 🡒]