FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons have added some depth to their quarterback room by claiming Matt Barkley off of waivers on Wednesday afternoon.
This move comes just 24 hours after the Falcons placed Feleipe Franks on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. The Falcons currently have 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Franks has played the backup quarterback role on game days throughout the last three weeks, with the Falcons choosing to keep Josh Rosen inactive.
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Barkley - a graduate of USC - comes to the Falcons from the Carolina Panthers. He was signed to the Panthers practice squad in early November. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft, Barkley spent time with the Cardinals, 49ers, Bengals, Bills and Titans. His most notable year came with the Chicago Bears in 2016, when he made six starts.
He ended the 2016 season with eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Also of note: Of his 216 pass attempts, 89 went for a first down. That 41.2 percent was the second-highest percentage in the NFL behind none other than Matt Ryan.
Barkley will find himself in a position room with Ryan as he comes to the Falcons to provide depth behind Ryan and Rosen.
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