Best of Both Worlds: Will Falcons' Feleipe Franks Play QB or TE Friday vs. Lions?

As someone who plays multiple positions, Feleipe Franks has a lot of responsibilities.

He's currently listed as the Atlanta Falcons third-string quarterback and tight end, but where will he play during the preseason?

With the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions just a few days away, Franks saw more snaps at quarterback than tight end on Tuesday during practice ... which is a change from most of what we saw in the first 10 days. By all accounts, Franks had a solid showing as a quarterback, with his arm strength and ball placement looking sharp.

The clear motive behind the switch is Atlanta's looming preseason opener. While Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder are likely to see a majority of the reps at quarterback, Franks is currently No. 3 on the depth chart, meaning he's an injury away from being the backup.

The Falcons will be keen to get Franks reps at both tight end and quarterback during the preseason to ensure he keeps growing at his likely long-term position while staying sharp at a position of need on Atlanta's current roster.

Franks' double duty as a tight end and quarterback has earned the praise of the coaching staff.

“It's extremely difficult (to do both)," Falcons tight end coach Justin Peelle said. "The thing you like about Feleipe is he's a competitor, he works hard, and he just wants to play football. However he can help this team win, that's what he's going to do."

And Franks has also earned the respect of his teammates.

"It's extremely impressive," sixth-round rookie tight end John FitzPatrick said. "He's selfless, he's a team player. Whatever they ask of him to do, he does it to the best of his ability, 100% effort every single time."

Franks will take the field with the Falcons in the preseason opener against the Lions Friday at 6 p.m.

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