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Rex Grossman signs with Falcons, waive RB Evan Royster

Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan have unleashed the dragon.

By Dave Choate
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Rex Grossman came in for a physical and a workout yesterday, and now the other cleat has dropped.

Grossman, 35, hasn't thrown a regular season pass since 2011, but he's a favorite of new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. On the upside, he has a strong arm and is familiar with Shanny's offense, and the OC raves about his toughness and presence. On the downside, he throws a lot of picks and hasn't played in a long while, and he's no spring Rex Grossman at this stage of his career.

Upsides and downsides aside, Grossman instantly becomes the favorite for backup quarterback duties in Atlanta. He'll need to knock some rust off and formally beat out T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree, but after that both members of that duo failed to step up in the first two preseason games and announce their intent to take the job, Shanny's guy probably has it. It's unclear, as Vaughn McClure notes above, if the team will release Yates or Renfree outright, or if they'll keep four quarterbacks and let them all compete in the next week or two. We'll know soon enough, and we'll see what kind of snaps Grossman gets against the Dolphins.

To make room for Grossman, the team has cut Evan Royster.

My hope is that Grossman is either a pleasant surprise or he never has to see the field because Matt Ryan is healthy and throwing for 5,000 yards this season. As many have pointed out, losing Ryan would put the Falcons in a terrible place regardless of who is the backup, so if Sexy Rexy can look good holding a clipboard and maybe throw a couple of decent balls in garbage time, this will be just fine. I'm still rooting for the young, capable Renfree to step up and take the gig, though.

Your thoughts about the signing?

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