Falcons try, fail to make another QB addition after draft

Falcons leaving no stone unturned when it comes to their quarterback position

After another disappointing campaign in 2023, the Falcons knew they had to find a new starting quarterback this offseason. They appeared to fill that need when they went out and signed Cousins to his massive deal, with Heinicke expected to stick around as his backup after Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

But then the Falcons shocked the world by drafting Penix with the eighth pick of the draft, and it threw everything in their quarterback room up in the air. Cousins is still the starter, but is he going to make it through the entirety of his contract, or is Penix going to take the job from him before that? And more short-term, is Penix going to snag the backup job from Heinicke, or will the veteran passer still be number two on the depth chart behind Cousins?

As if there weren’t already enough questions at quarterback for Atlanta, they wanted to bring in yet another quarterback in Rourke, but ended up losing out on him to the Giants. Rourke didn’t see the field last season after making the jump from the CFL to the NFL, but he has upside, so it’s certainly not the end of the world for a team to take a flier on him.

Given the Giants quarterback situation, it makes a lot more sense for them to add Rourke than the Falcons. You can never have too much help at the most important position in the game of football, but realistically speaking, there wasn’t much of a need for Rourke, as he almost certainly would not have made Atlanta’s 53-man roster.

However, after they missed out on Rourke, it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see Atlanta try to make a move for a different quarterback in the near future. Who that could end up being is unknown, but just when you think you have the Falcons quarterback room figured out, it appears as if they are still in the market to add another quarterback to round out their depth chart at that spot.