Dolphins’ QB2 job is unsettled—one Falcons QB to watch Friday

The Miami Dolphins have a backup quarterback position that is not settled, and that player could be on the Atlanta Falcons.

Introducing Jack Strand, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback whom the Falcons picked up as a 2026 undrafted free agent. Strand has put together a good training camp and preseason. The former starting quarterback for Minnesota State Moorhead checks a lot of boxes in the physical-traits category.

Like current Dolphins starting quarterback Malik Willis, Strand can throw off-platform and from every conceivable arm angle. For a Division II quarterback, he has demonstrated during his time with the Falcons that he is worth taking a look at.

In the Falcons’ preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Strand passed for 212 yards while completing 12 of 17 attempts. He also rushed for 22 yards on nine carries, including a 16-yard touchdown run. With Michael Penix Jr. out, Strand worked a lot with the second- and third-string units while gaining praise from Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski.

“A coach on the MSU-Moorhead staff told me in the spring that Strand may have been a top-3 drafted QB if he’d taken NIL offers to jump up his last season,” Thor Nystrom wrote on X.

Atlanta’s crowded quarterback room

Penix being medically cleared has left four quarterbacks on Atlanta’s roster. Tua Tagovailoa is currently competing to start the season or could be considered more of a bridge quarterback until Penix is ready to play.

That brings us to the Falcons’ backup quarterback conversation. If Penix is ready for Week 1, which veteran is the better choice coming off the bench: Cooper Rush or Tagovailoa?

One would think the player competing for the No. 1 spot would inherit the No. 2 spot, but there is one complication: Which player can practice with the second- and third-string units and then come off the bench and be more effective with the starters?

Here is where I believe things get interesting.

Strand could get poached from the practice squad. He has been too good, and the Falcons appear to be high on him, so he may have to make the 53-man roster. Rush, the veteran backup, would provide more stability with his availability than Tagovailoa, whose nagging injuries have shown up again.

I would also give Rush the nod over Tagovailoa in an off-the-bench scenario. Tagovailoa’s timing may not be on point with the starters because of the lack of practice repetitions during the week, and his ability to work off-script is not his strong suit.

This leaves Atlanta with an interesting scenario: Does Tagovailoa, with a declining camp, get the nod over Rush or Strand as the backup or third-string quarterback?

I do not see a world in which Penix reaches the open market, so whoever is on the way out would put another quarterback on the market. That is where the Dolphins should look to make a Caedan Wallace-type move if they are also high on Strand.

To me, Tagovailoa could be the odd man out. The reason is that Strand’s prototypical NFL body helps him win the QB3 job, while Rush stays as the veteran backup, especially because of Tagovailoa’s injury history.

Maybe the Dolphins can lure Strand away with a late-round draft pick or a player swap at a position of need for Atlanta.

Why Miami should watch Strand

Both Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller are still competing for the Dolphins’ backup quarterback job, and coach Jeff Hafley said both will probably play Friday against the Falcons. That makes Strand a player Dolphins fans should keep an eye on from the other sideline.

Miami should be looking around the league for possible additions at quarterback. Strand is only one of several players the Dolphins should consider, but he is an intriguing developmental option with the physical tools to compete for the backup job behind Willis.

A player like Strand has high upside. With the Dolphins still building their roster and looking for a long-term developmental option behind Willis, Strand would provide the team and its fan base with an underdog who has already shown promising football for the Falcons. He could also compete for Miami’s backup quarterback job.

Jack Strand, you’re officially on Lo-Fi’s watch list.