The Falcons have a bevy of roster battles going on right now, mostly across the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary. However, there’s a position that isn’t getting much discussion right now — the quarterback that’s going to back up Matt Ryan . AJ McCarron is all but locked in to be Ryan’s reserve on Sundays, but the Falcons did scoop up a talented undrafted free agent in the form of former Arkansas Razorback Feleipe Franks.
I think at worst, Franks will be on Atlanta’s practice squad to start 2021. He’s 6’6, relatively mobile, and has an absolute rocket arm — all desirable traits for a rookie quarterback. However, he’s only 23 years old and had a lot of issues coming out of college — he went undrafted for a reason. I had an interesting comparison for Franks when the Falcons scooped him up:
If you remember, Arthur Smith was on the coaching staff for the one season that Gabbert was a Tennessee Titan. While that isn’t exactly a rock solid reason for the Falcons to be interested in Franks, Smith does seem to have a type. Ryan Tannehill is another tall, mobile quarterback that seems to fit that mold.
I’m not saying Franks is the quarterback of the future in Atlanta, but I think there’s some interest in his development. AJ McCarron is likely going to see a decent share of the snaps during the preseason as well, and his stability should keep him as Matt Ryan’s backup going into 2021. We are talking about a guy that should have won a playoff game against the Steelers, if not for Adam Jones, Jeremy Hill, and Vontaze Burfict. There’s also the possibility that the Falcons carry three quarterbacks, but I’d call the chances of that slim-to-none with the lack of depth they have at key positions. I don’t think the Falcons will go into 2021 trusting Franks as their every day backup, especially behind this O-Line, but if he goes out and flashes some of his tools and turns some heads, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility just yet.
More must-reads: