Falcons ‘very excited’ about Jack Strand’s development as roster decision looms

“He’s like, ‘Oh, that guy was a year older than me. BS that he’s in there — he does jump-rope,’” Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Tuesday, laughing. “I didn’t know anything about it. So, Jack’s a great kid, man. He’s done a nice job. Still got a long ways to go, but he’s putting the work forward.”

Strand has elevated his stock significantly since signing with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent from Minnesota State Moorhead in April.

The 6-foot-4 240-pounder has become something of a training camp folk hero among a sect of Falcons fans, earning national recognition for his preseason performance against the Colts and, perhaps most importantly, gaining the notoriety he desperately desired from his hometown.

On Wikipedia, Strand is now listed as one of seven notable people from Bloomer, joining a list of politicians, sheep farmers and a football coach.

Now, the question surrounding Strand is just how high he can jump-rope his way up the Falcons’ depth chart, where he’s spent much of the past two weeks buried beneath Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. and Cooper Rush.

Strand pairs his frame with a right arm that clocked 60 mph in a college workout and once threw a pass 78 yards. He’s also an adequate athlete, scrambling for a 16-yard touchdown in the Falcons’ 34-6 preseason win over the Colts on Saturday.

Still only 22 years old, Strand has an intriguing profile. But he remains a work in progress for quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, and Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski seemed to quell any thoughts of Strand working his way into the team’s battle to start under center Week 1.

“Everyone prepares to be the starter. I don’t care what position you play and what part you are on the depth chart,” Stefanski said Monday. “Obviously, we work with our young guys and want to make sure we put all of them, Jack included, through a process and make sure they are getting the proper things down when it comes to understanding systems, understanding defenses.

“He’s doing everything we’re asking him to do, but we’re not going to put those types of things out there for our guys to worry about. He’s got to keep his focus on the day-to-day.”

Strand reiterated Stefanski’s feelings. He said his expectations have “definitely not” changed over the past several weeks, and he’s adopted Stefanski’s approach of building each practice.

“I just want to be the best football player that I can be, help the team out in whatever way possible,” Strand said Monday. “I just want to be where I’m at now. I was focused on practice today. I wasn’t focused on anything that happened last Saturday. I wasn’t focused on anything in the future.

“I just want to be where my feet are, and I’ve got to keep continuing to get better every day.”

Why is this a discussion? Consider the folk-hero element, and consider the production he’s delivered through two exhibition games.

Strand starred against the Colts, going 12-for-17 passing for 212 yards with two touchdowns, one through the air and the other on the ground. The performance followed an adequate preseason debut against the Broncos in Week 1, when he went 6-for-12 passing for 50 yards and scored the team’s lone touchdown, on a quarterback sneak.

After largely being out of the rotation in quarterback reps during practice, Strand earned more snaps with the backup offense Monday and Tuesday.

Rush is largely perceived to be competing with Strand for the Falcons’ No. 3 quarterback job, and the 31-year-old veteran dominated the share of team reps in joint practices against the Colts last week.

But Strand capitalized when his moment arrived in the Falcons’ second preseason game, and the team, Stefanski said, is “very excited” about his development.

The Falcons, however, aren’t expediting Strand’s track to a larger role. They’re sticking to their long-term plan to bring him along at what they deem the best pace for his future.

“Coach Van Pelt cannot say enough positive things about his development and where he’s grown from rookie minicamp to now,” Rees said. “Great head on his shoulders. Pretty unflappable in terms of just his ability to handle information, stay calm, stay poised.

“Alex has done a great job developing his footwork and his rhythm and timing. So, pleased with Jack. We still have a long way to go and a lot of steps — there’s a lot of things we’re still trying to clean up with him from an operation, mental side, and seeing the big picture, coverages and all that.”

Strand’s mental capacity was a central reason behind the Falcons’ interest in him during the predraft process. When the Falcons met with Strand, they wanted to understand how his mind operates and whether he could handle the information overload that comes with being an NFL quarterback.

An engineering physics major at MSU Moorhead who once aspired to work at NASA, Strand aced the Falcons’ initial tests and he’s steadily grown mentally throughout this summer.

Strand feels more comfortable running the Falcons’ offense. He’s starting to understand the plays, but more importantly, he’s understanding the roots beneath them. Why are we running this motion? What do we want this play to look like? How do we want the defense to react?

At training camp’s conclusion, Strand feels he’s grasped it all.

“I think that’s starting to help the game slow down a little bit for me,” Strand said. “I think just starting to get more in tune with that as part of the offense and starting to process that more (has) allowed me to hopefully get us in the right play more often than not.”

Strand’s operation of the Falcons’ offense against the Colts drew praise from Stefanski, who touted his young signal-caller’s ability to get the ball where it was supposed to be most of the time. He played on time, delivered accurate passes and led three scoring drives with the Falcons’ reserves.

Entering the preseason finale — a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday against the Dolphins in Miami Gardens — Strand’s future in Atlanta remains unclear. The Falcons must decide whether to keep Strand on their 53-man roster or cut him and subject him to waivers, where another team can nab him.

No matter, Strand has made a strong impression this summer. He’s won over fans, earned respect from his teammates and coaches and even earned a nickname: Treetrunks, a nod to his muscular legs.

But don’t get it twisted: His lower half is best suited for football. One may think it would translate well to jumping rope. Rees disagrees. Strand has outgrown his Bloomer roots — literally.

“Not with those legs,” Rees said, chuckling.