Undrafted rookie QB Jack Strand working with Falcons' first-team offense

Published July 30, 2026 04:42 PM In 2024, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and then drafted Michael Penix in the first round. They moved on from Cousins and signed veteran Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.Yet, it’s Jack Strand currently running their offense.The undrafted rookie got a phone call from Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt the night before the first training camp practice. Van Pelt informed Strand that Tagovailoa would miss some time with a back injury and Penix was not cleared for team work, leaving Strand as the only quarterback on the roster.“I didn’t think about it too much,” Strand said after Thursday’s practice, via Will McFadden of the team website. “I’m coming into training camp and everything just trying to take it day by day. Keep attacking every day. Keep getting better every day, whether I’m getting a bunch of reps or I’m not getting as many reps. Whatever reps that I do get, whether it’s in Indy, whether it’s in RVA, whether it’s in team, anything, I’m just going to try to attack those reps and try to keep getting with those, and then also from watching the guys around me.” The Falcons have since signed veteran Cooper Rush, and Tagovailoa did some light throwing during the individual periods on Thursday. So, Strand might not have much longer with the first-team. But the former Minnesota State-Moorhead is focused on getting better every day, no matter where he is on the depth chart or in the rotation.“That’s something that I’ve been telling myself a ton: Be where your feet are. Enjoy the moment,” Strand said. “Don’t look in the past. Don’t dwell on any mistakes or any success that you might have had. Don’t look to the future and wonder what’s going to be happening in two weeks, in three weeks, in a couple of months or anything. Just be where your feet are.”