T.J. Yates to Falcons - No Kubiak reunion

The Baltimore Ravens had been monitoring quarterback T.J. Yates' pending release from the Houston Texans. There was a reported interest in adding the young quarterback since he has experience with new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and the scheme that Baltimore will be running this season.

The Ravens have been openly disappointed with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor and his play. The mobile quarterback doesn't fit the scheme that the Ravens will be running and has had problems of playing within the game and limiting mistakes both in practice and in a limited sample size at the end of last season. Yates' familiarity with the scheme, similarity to Flacco's style of play and his cost would have made him an excellent choice to take Taylor's spot at backup quarterback until rookie sixth-round draft pick Keith Wenning was ready in a year or two.

However, instead of just releasing Yates, the Texans identified a few teams that had interest in the quarterback and were able to strike up a trade with the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for linebacker Akeem Dent. Yates is a former fifth-round draft pick with 101 completions for 1,100 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. His 71.4 quarterback rating over 13 games is only slightly underneath Flacco's 73.1 rating from last year.