Falcons Coach Reveals How Rookie QB Feleipe Franks Might Earn Expanded - And Odd - Role
Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Feleipe Franks was on the active roster for the first time in his young NFL career on Sunday against the Giants.
He wasn't just there as an emergency third-string quarterback though - Franks saw the field in the first half ... as a tight end.
READ MORE: The Falcons MVP? That's Easy
At 6'6 and 235 pounds, Franks has a similar frame to first-round draft pick Kyle Pitts, who measures 6'6 and 245 pounds.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said we could see more of Franks on the field as the season rolls along.
"There's things that we think he may be able to add," said Smith. "He's a good football player. There's things that we may, something this week, or maybe in the future, it's good to get his feet wet."
Franks took one snap under center on a third-and-short. He ran a read-option that went for a loss after he handed it off.
Smith praised the Giants defense for sniffing it out.
"We tried something, and they did a nice job playing it," said Smith. "They brought pressure off the open side, and they got us on the [snap] count. They bubbled it back, and they made a play."
But, the coach added praise for the rookie.
"He made a sound decision," Smith said of Franks. "A lot of times you put the ball in their hands, and a guy pulls it when he doesn't need to. Feleipe continues to improve. We like what he's doing at quarterback, but we think athletically there may be something he can give us at other positions."
"We're always going to look; if there's somebody on the roster that can help us, we'll try him."
Franks rushed for 350 yards his sophomore season at Florida. He's an excellent athlete who was also drafted by the Boston Red Sox when he was in high school.
Franks has size and mobility that quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Josh Rosen lack, and Sunday's cameo against the Giants may not be the last we've seen of him this season. ... in some capacity.
