Josh Rosen to get ‘fair shot’ at No. 2 quarterback spot in competition with Feleipe Franks

While there are plenty of questions to be answered Sunday in the Atlanta Falcons’ preseason finale, one of the most prominent surrounds the quarterback position. Who will be Matt Ryan’s backup?

Ryan has been one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL since he entered the league, but he is one injury away from forcing new head coach Arthur Smith and his staff to go to their bench, where the initial insurance plan is no longer an option. The team signed veteran and former Alabama Crimson Tide star A.J. McCarron in the offseason for the No. 2 quarterback role, but his season-ending ACL injury had the Falcons’ front office scrambling this week.

Enter Josh Rosen, the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Atlanta signed Rosen to compete with rookie Feleipe Franks for the backup job, and both players figure to see heavy action Sunday for the 8 p.m. preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Give him a fair shot this week, we’ve got to get him ready to play,” Smith said of Rosen. “He’s going to play Sunday night. How long we’ll determine on Saturday, but you’re going to see him out there. That’s the only fair thing to do, we signed him. We’ve got to figure out this backup quarterback spot. You’ll see him play at some point Sunday night. We’ll just see how it goes.

“We kind of look at the roster, it’s always fluid, and we’ll continue to look to improve in any way possible at every position, so we’re excited he’s here and we’ll give him every opportunity like everybody else on the roster.”

Rosen, only 24, already has endured a nomadic NFL career since the Cardinals took him 10th in the first round. He lasted only one season in Arizona, which drafted Kyler Murray in 2019 and traded Rosen to the Dolphins. He was waived by Miami after the 2019 season and spent part of 2020 on the Buccaneers practice squad before finishing the season with the 49ers. San Francisco waived him Aug. 17, and Atlanta signed him from a group of potential veteran quarterbacks available after McCarron’s injury.

The Falcons are eager to test Rosen out, both in practices and in Sunday’s preseason game, the last real tuneup before the regular season opens Sept. 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Certainly does (change the quarterback rotation),” Smith said. “The offseason, the practices, everything leading up with the quarterbacks that were here with A.J. and Feleipe and now we added Josh and we want to make sure that we give them enough of a sample size. So yeah, it definitely can change your plan and you’ve got to be flexible because unfortunately things like that happen in the NFL.”

Franks is still likely to get the bulk of Sunday’s quarterback snaps because of Rosen’s newness to the team.

“I wouldn’t subscribe to just throwing (Rosen) to the wolves,” Smith said. “We’ll get him prepared as you would a professional, but it’s not like we’re going to say, ‘Hey, everything’s on the table for Sunday night. Here you go.’ But we’ll have a package for him to give him a fair shot and he’ll handle everything and he’s a smart guy. He’s been in a couple of different systems.”

Franks, a rookie from Arkansas, has gone through an uneven first preseason. He has impressed with his legs — seven rushes for 108 yards, including a 52-yarder — but is only 6 of 18 passing for 62 yards and an interception through two games. Atlanta lost both of those, falling 23-3 to the Titans on Aug. 13 and 37-17 to the Dolphins on Aug. 21.

McCarron didn’t fare much better with an 8 of 18 showing for 79 yards and an interception. The two Falcons quarterbacks have been sacked nine times through those two games, including seven sacks of Franks.

Ryan hasn’t played in the preseason.

Atlanta also is close to decision time for positions all over the roster. Currently at 80 players, the Falcons have until 4 p.m. on Aug. 31 to cut down to a final season roster of 53.