Free agent quarterback Rex Grossman is currently in Atlanta, where he’s geting a physical with the Falcons, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to McClure, Grossman is also expected to work out with the team this afternoon, following his physical.
It’s not clear yet which quarterback will back up Matt Ryan in Atlanta this season, with T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree vying for the No. 2 job. Yates entered camp as the presumed favorite, but he has completed just 52.8% of his passes in the preseason so far, and has thrown the team’s only two interceptions.
Grossman, who turned 35 on Sunday, hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2011 in Washington, and we heard earlier this month that he was still recovering from an injury he sustained while training. However, the veteran signal-caller has a history with new Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, so Shanahan may feel more comfortable with Grossman than he currently does with Yates or Renfree.
The Falcons figure to make a decision on whether or not to sign Grossman following today’s physical and workout.
The sudden interest in Grossman from several clubs is pretty surprising. Atlanta makes some sense because of the Shanahan connection, but if Ryan goes down, the team is in a mess anyway (of course, you can say that for pretty much every team in the league). If that were to happen, despite his struggles this preseason, it seems like Yates would be just as worthy of a shot as Grossman.
I don’t buy into the whole “veteran leadership” thing all that much, but it seems like Grossman is very respected around the league. Not that Matt Ryan needs any sort of teaching, but he’s probably just a great voice to have in the locker room. Add in his connection with Shanahan and it makes sense.
Familiarity notwithstanding, I agree. a 35-year-old Rex Grossman, he of no snaps since 2013 and mostly lower-quality work, can’t be that much of an upgrade on Yates. And it’d be a bit difficult for Grossman to show much leadership being on a new team and having not been a regular starter in four years.