Over the past 24 hours, the Falcons reshuffled their quarterback situation.
In is T.J. Yates, the former North Carolina quarterback from Pope High School and Marietta.
Out is last season’s backup, Dominique Davis, who was waived a few hours after the completion of the team’s offseason program on Thursday.
The Falcons have been living on the edge with their backup since parting ways with Chris Redman. In 2012, they added Luke McCown as insurance, but didn’t re-sign him for 2013. Last season, Davis, a former undrafted player from East Carolina, was the primary backup, but appeared in just one game.
After making it through two seasons without an experienced reserve, the Falcons made a trade to acquire Yates late Wednesday night from the Houston Texans.
The Falcons sent backup linebacker Akeem Dent, who lost his starting job last year, to the Texans to complete the deal.
“You always want to have an (experienced) backup quarterback if you can,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Thursday. “That doesn’t always work out, but T.J. has played in games. He’s played in big games. He’s won a playoff game for the Houston Texans. So, he is an experienced player. We look forward to getting him here.”
Yates was traveling Thursday and unavailable for comment.
On Tuesday, the Texans announced that Yates had lost the team’s offseason quarterback competition and that they planned to release him. Before the release was arranged, the Falcons acquired a signal-caller with NFL experience.
Yates, 27, was forced into action in his rookie season after Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart suffered injuries. He made his first NFL start against the Falcons and led the Texans to a 17-10 victory on Dec. 4, 2011, completing 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown.
In 13 games in three years with the Texans (five starts), he completed 101 of 166 passes (60.8 percent) for 1,100 yards with three touchdowns, six interceptions and a 71.4 quarterback rating.
Davis was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent following the 2012 NFL draft. After a so-so exhibition season, he served as the team’s backup quarterback and made his pro debut against Tampa Bay on Nov. 11.
Dent was a starter during the 2012 season and led the Falcons in tackles in the NFC Championship game against San Francisco. But last season, he lost his position and played mostly on special teams.
“We appreciate everything that Akeem Dent has done for us over the last three years,” Smith said.
The Falcons were clearly excited about getting Yates, who is an upgrade for the roster.
“We’re going to be welcoming in an Atlantan who played here in Marietta before going to North Carolina,” Smith said. “He’s done some good things in this league.”
Yates, who threw for 9,377 yards and 58 touchdowns while setting 37 school records at North Carolina, will have a crash-course in learning the Falcons’ offense.
“It’s a little awkward by getting him at this time of the year,” Smith said. “We feel like we can add a player that can help us win.”
In addition, the Falcons signed linebacker Tim Dobbins to a one-year, $855,000 contract. He will serve as a backup linebacker and play on special teams.
With the season-ending Achilles injury to Sean Weatherspoon, the Falcons were in need of a veteran free agent linebacker. They looked at Dobbins, Nick Barnett and Jonathan Vilma. Dobbins played for Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan in Miami during the 2010 season.
“Dobbins has a lot of experience,” Smith said. “He has games under his belt. It’s going to be important that we have some guys who have played some games.”
Smith appears ready to move ahead with a young linebacking corps. Second-year players Joplo Bartu and Paul Worrilow, who were both undrafted players last season, were working with the first-team defense. Smith said that rookie Prince Shembo will get a chance to compete for a starting position.
