Flowery Branch — Because of Todd McClure's streak of 96 consecutive starts, the Falcons' backup center has been the forgotten man on the roster.

But with McClure out of camp with a lower back injury, Alex Stepanovich, signed in the offseason as a free agent from the Cincinnati Bengals, has been working with the first unit. He was a fourth-round draft pick by Arizona in 2004 and started at center for most of three seasons. Last season, he started four games at guard for Cincinnati.

For the Falcons he will back up McClure and learn both the right and left guard positions.

"Right now, I'm just trying to come in and learn all three inside spots," said Stepanovich, who has started 34 of 42 games he's played in the NFL. "I've played a lot in this league and you've always got to be ready."

The Falcons needed to improve the offensive line and create some depth behind the starters in case of injury.

"We try to have as few one-position players as we possibly can," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "The guys that are going to be backups have to be able to play multiple positions. Alex has done a nice job with Todd being down."

Stepanovich doesn't want anyone to notice when he's in the game.

"I'm just trying to make sure that we don't miss a beat," Stepanovich said. "Whenever somebody goes down, you don't want the offense to feel like when you come in they've got to take a step back. I just want to make sure that I'm prepared and ready to roll whenever the time comes."

Stepanovich is not the only player benefiting from the cross-train plan.

Quinn Ojinnaka, who was drafted as a cut-blocking tackle, has been used at both guard and tackle during training camp.

"The more that you can do, the more value you have to a football team, especially when you start to put together your 53-man roster."

Ojinnaka started seven games at left tackle last season.

The Falcons will set their quarterback rotation for the Jacksonville game Thursday.

"I think I've been getting better as camp progresses," rookie quarterback Matt Ryan said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to go down and play in Jacksonville this weekend. I'm just preparing to go out there whenever my number gets called."

The Falcons made two roster moves Wednesday, signing linebacker Mickey Pimentel and placing linebacker Robert James on injured reserve.

— Steve Wyche contributed to this report.