The Atlanta Falcons are in the middle of two quarterback competitions with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. grabbing understandable attention as they fight for the starting role. The loser will presumably be serving as Atlanta's primary backup, leaving one roster spot for either undrafted rookie signing Jack Strand or career backup Cooper Rush. The emergency quarterback role is far more important than for many teams based on the injury histories of both Penix and Tagovailoa.
It isn't far-fetched to see a scenario where the emergency quarterback is called into action based on the inability of Atlanta's starter and primary backup to stay healthy. With this in mind, the team has to put more weight into whether it is Strand or Rush that survives roster cuts and serves as the third option.
With that said, there is zero question it should be Strand stepping into the final quarterback role. You are not winning anything with Rush; the quarterback has a proven ceiling and isn't capable of leading the Falcons to any wins of note. While the same is very likely true of Strand, the quarterback is an unknown.
Finding another backup option if Strand proves not to be a viable development piece is easy when the bar is Cooper Rush. Strand gives you a puncher's chance of finding a surprise contributor, while Rush isn't going to offer the Falcons any possible advantage, being a known quantity.
Falcons Should Keep Jack Strand as Atlanta's Emergency Quarterback Option
Strand played his college career with Minnesota State-Moorhead and put up incredible numbers in his final season with 3,546 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns. These are eye-popping numbers no matter the college level the signal caller was starting for. Strand has the potential to be developed into a viable backup option, and this is the path that the Falcons must walk, understanding Rush simply isn't taking you anywhere.
Even if Strand does prove to be the lesser option, the only downside is losing a bit uglier if the third option is forced into action. This is hardly a problem when you consider the fact that you're incredibly likely to lose by a wide margin already if Rush were forced into a game. Strand gives you a chance to find a surprise producer and a development piece that could turn into a long-term backup.
Early camp results back this up as Strand is progressing better than expected and giving Atlanta fans reason to wonder if the young quarterback could play his way onto the roster. A question that preseason will go a long way in answering, as the Falcons now have two entertaining QB competitions to keep an eye on.
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