Falcons QB Jack Strand Shines in Otherwise Disastrous Preseason Opener

In a blowout home loss in their NFL preseason opener, one of the Atlanta Falcons’ (0-1) lone bright spots was an undrafted rookie quarterback from the NCAA Division II level.

Amidst being routed 27-7 by the Denver Broncos (1-0), Atlanta called on third-string quarterback Jack Strand to start the second half. The former Minnesota State Moorhead star played the entire third and fourth quarters, and finished going 6-of-12 for 50 yards, and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the third quarter.

“The speed of the game is different. Guys are bigger, faster, smarter,” Strand reflected on his NFL preseason debut to reporters on Friday, Aug. 14.

“It’s a little bit more of a chess match playing in the NFL, which I think is a lot of fun. You kind of dive deep into figuring out how to beat the other team a little bit in the NFL more than you would in college.”

Strand checked in against the Broncos after appearances by starting quarterback contender Tua Tagovailoa and training camp signee Cooper Rush. Potential Falcons starter Michael Penix Jr. dressed, but didn’t play while he’s rehabilitating his partially torn ACL in his left knee.

The quarterback play wasn’t favorable for Atlanta before Strand’s insertion.

Tagovailoa struggled to push the ball downfield in his two drives. The former Miami Dolphin went 3-for-5 for 22 yards and nearly turned the football over in his second snap after fumbling a shotgun snap. As for Rush, he had a putrid 6.8 quarterback rating, went 7-for-19 for 62 yards, and threw two interceptions, including a 97-yard pick-six to Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron.

So instead of the veterans, the 22-year-old Strand was the only source of points for the Falcons on Friday.

“It’s good to see first-year guys come in and experience this moment, their first NFL game,” said Atlanta running back Tyler Goodson. “Great for him to touch paint like we always want.”

Strand described his first career touchdown as “really cool.” Tagovailoa and Penix made sure the rookie got the football from his first NFL touchdown.

“That’s important because this is his first NFL game,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t think people understand it’s not easy to get into this league, whether you’re drafted, whether you’re undrafted. This being preseason, I understand, but that’s a big deal.”

It’s been quite the month for Strand.

In late July, he was thrown into the fire early in training camp as quarterback injuries piled up on the Falcons.

Weeks later, he was the team’s best performer in the NFL preseason opener. Now, with two preseason games to spare, the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder may be in play to land a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster on final cut day on Aug. 30.

His development under Penix, Tagovailoa, and Rush continues on Thursday, Aug. 19, when Atlanta travels to Indianapolis for two days of joint practices against the Colts.

“They’ve been so supportive of me through this whole training camp,” Strand said of his fellow quarterbacks. “They’ve been awesome just with questions that I have or stuff that they see that I’m doing – if I got to clean up my footwork, got to change up the way that I’m doing a read, even just my mechanics, using my legs and stuff. They’ve been more than willing to help me out to help me become the best player that I can be.”

Preseason games continue on Aug. 22 at the Colts (0-0-1), and then the finale versus the Miami Dolphins (0-1) on Aug. 28.

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