Yesterday, I stumped for the Falcons adding a third quarterback with experience, given that they have legitimate injury concerns for both quarterbacks vying for the starting job. Today, they signed that player, though it wasn’t one of the ones on my radar.
Per NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, Trevor Siemian will be joining the falcons as their new third quarterback. If Michael Penix Jr. isn’t healthy to begin the season, he’ll back up Tua Tagovailoa directly; either way, this is about getting experience insurance for the quarterback room.
Siemian, 34, was Denver’s more-or-less full-time starter in 2016 and 2017 and stepped in to make spot starts for the Jets (in two different stints), Bears, and Saints after that. In total, he’s made 33 starts at the NFL level and posted 44 touchdowns against 32 interceptions with 7,751 yards and a 58.5% completion percentage. He can move fairly well in the pocket and is generally good at both getting rid of the ball and avoiding blundering into pressure and sacks, but is a poor downfield passer and one whose performance is noticeably worse under pressure. If you can protect him and have a smart gameplan that doesn’t force him to try to hit sideline shots and deep routes too often, Siemian can give you solid fill-in work for multiple starts. If things are a bit more chaotic and you’re not adapting to the limits of what he can offer, Siemian looks pretty lackluster, and anything that forces him out of a game manager-type role is probably going to end poorly.
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You’re getting a player who you’re hoping can be a good teammate holding a clipboard and that you’d only have to install for a start or two in dire straits, instead of someone who will be counted on to start for half a season. In light of that, Siemian is a perfectly solid choice for QB3 who has the experience and track record to give the Falcons some confidence in an emergency. Given Tua’s concussion history and Penix’s injury history and recovery this year, there’s a non-zero chance we’ll see him in 2026; if we do we just have to hope it’s for a short stretch where he can hold down the fort decently.
Give Siemian a warm welcome, if you would.
