Getty Falcons quarterback/tight end Feleipe Franks.
The Atlanta Falcons are testing out quarterback Feleipe Franks in a tight end role and it’s going well––really, really well.
We caught a glimpse of Franks’ skills on Saturday, August 6 during day 9 of training camp.
Franks caught a pass from quarterback Desmond Ridder and bulldozed cornerback Teez Tabor along the way.
That’s tough @18franks 💪
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Not the First Time Atlanta Tested Franks at TE
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Franks playing at tight end.
The Falcons’ third-string quarterback made his NFL debut on September 26, 2021 against the New York Giants–––as a blocking tight end.
Atlanta originally tried to use Kyle Pitts to block during the game but ultimately decided to put him back to his pass-catching duties and throw Franks in. At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Franks isn’t too far off in size from Pitts, who measures 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds––thus he has the size and speed to block.
“We like what he’s doing at quarterback, but we think athletically there may be something he can give us at other positions,” Head coach Arthur smith said in the presser following the Falcons’ win over New York in 2021.
Smith using a QB at tight end is nothing new to the NFL since the New Orleans Saints are well-known to do it with backup quarterback Taysom Hill.
Could Franks be the next Hill? Only time will tell, according to head coach Arthur Smith.
“Certainly it’s worth trying, you know,” Smith said. “The opportunity, he played a couple of snaps at different spots and we’ll see if it grows and we’ve got to evaluate that but yeah, he’s a hell of an athlete.”
Atlanta Will Still Give Franks QB Reps
“I’m about whatever I can do to help,” Franks told Falcons’ Digital Managing Editor Scott Bair on Thursday, June 9. “It was more about adding more value for myself in the quarterback and tight end room. For me, it’s about being able to do more things, at tight end and quarterback and on special teams. I’ll do whatever.”
Franks is very familiar with the QB position after playing in a starting QB role for both the Arkansas Razorbacks and Florida Gators, so he’s focusing a bit more on the tight end position.
“I really want to learn what I’m being asked to do,” Franks said. “With the tight ends, I really want to understand what they’re doing so I’m not missing anything. I don’t want to do too much at one time. So, learning that position, and obviously in the quarterback room, I’m staying on top of that. I just want to be available for whatever they need.”
The Falcons will still continue to give Franks reps at QB throughout training camp.
“We’ll still get Feleipe some reps at certain points,” head coach Arthur Smith said following day 1 of training camp. “When you have a limited number of reps, we are trying to make sure that Marcus and Dez get as many as they can.”
As a rookie, Franks played nine games, with three rushes for 6 yards in 2021. Hopefully, as he develops into a hybrid player, he can see the field more in 2022.
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