The competition between AJ McCarron and Feleipe Franks for the role of backup QB seemed to be heated heading into Atlanta's second preseason game. But a season-ending injury to McCarron has ended that debate.
Now the biggest question being discussed is if Franks is ready to be the Falcons backup. Many feel a more veteran presence is preferred with Franks possibly ending on the Falcons practice squad.
While you hope to never have to use the backup, it's nice to know you can somewhat trust them to perform, and it doesn't feel that way with Franks, an undrafted rookie.
The Falcons only brought in McCarron and Franks after former backup QB Matt Schaub announced he would be retiring. Kurt Benkert and Danny Etling have been part of the organization in recent years as well.
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So if the future backup of the Falcons isn't going to be Franks, who will it be? There are quite a few options for the Falcons to consider bringing in.
The first few calls might be to a group of recently retired signal-callers. A few of those who played in the NFL just last season. That list includes:
•Matt Schaub
• Robert Griffin III
• Alex Smith
• Josh McCown
The Falcons also could wait out the rest of the preseason and see which QB's are waived/cut by other teams. While some (Josh Rosen) already have been released, there are a number of QBs who will become free agents in the coming days.
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Some guys the team probably has their eyes on include:
• Josh Rosen
• Kurt Benkert
• Blake Bortles
• Ryan Finley
• Nick Foles
While the season is just two weeks away, the team can be somewhat patient looking for a new backup in the hopes that he never sees the field during the regular season anyway.