Atlanta Falcons helmet Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons have a critical matchup against the Washington Commanders this week, and it appears they are enlisting a new quarterback to aid in their preparations.

As reported by Tori McElhaney of the Atlanta Falcons team website, the team has added quarterback Emory Jones to the practice squad to help simulate the Commanders’ quarterback during practice sessions.

According to McElhaney, Jones will focus on mimicking Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ style during practice.

“The Falcons have signed QB Emory Jones to the practice squad. A team representative said Atlanta did so to use Jones on the scout team at practice this week to better simulate Jayden Daniels’ skill set,” McElhaney shared in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Jones, who played college football at Florida, Arizona State, and Cincinnati, went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and brings a dual-threat capability that sets him apart from the other quarterbacks on the Falcons roster.

Behind starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. are former starter Kirk Cousins and third-stringer Nathan Peterman, neither of whom excel as runners. Adding Jones to the practice squad allows the Falcons defense to better prepare for the challenges posed by Daniels and the Commanders.

Needless to say, the move led to a lot of reactions on social media.

“The falcons are lying their tails off if they think Emory Jones can simulate Jayden Daniels in any way shape or form,” one fan wrote on X.

“What they can’t have Kurt do it,” someone else joked.

“Actually pretty clever,” another fan wrote.

“That’s actually really smart!!” someone else said.

Though Jones, an Atlanta native, is unlikely to have a long-term role with the team, he has an opportunity to make a unique contribution this week.

[Tori McElhaney]