Former Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich Signs With Falcons

In order to make room on the 53-man roster Tuesday afternoon, the Falcons released quarterback Casey Bramlet.

Photo courtesy: NFL.com

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Quarterback Byron Leftwich, who had been without an NFL home since being released by Jacksonville Sept. 1, signed with the Atlanta Falcons Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Leftwich will wear the jersey number four for the Falcons.

Leftwich, 6' 5," 250 pounds, enters his fifth year in the NFL after four seasons with the Jaguars.

He has completed 789 of 1,344 career passes for 9,042 yards, 51 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He is 24-20 as a starter with a career passer rating of 80.5.

His tenure in the league, however, has been marked with injuries. Leftwich has missed 15 games the last two seasons, including 10 games in 2006 with ankle problems.

In order to make room on the 53-man roster Tuesday afternoon, the Falcons released quarterback Casey Bramlet. Head Coach Bobby Petrino also said Joey Harrington remains the team's starter.

“As I’ve said for some time, we’ve been looking to add a quarterback to the mix since D.J. Shockley’s injury in the preseason," Petrino said. "Joey Harrington remains our starting quarterback and Chris Redman is still No. 2, but signing Byron Leftwich presented us a unique opportunity to add a veteran with tremendous experience to our quarterback group."

“First of all, I’m a football player and the last couple of weeks have been tough on me,” added Leftwich. “I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help our team.”

A first-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2003, Leftwich enjoyed a prolific collegiate career at Marshall University. He finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy following his senior season and was twice named Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

He also set conference records for passing yards and total offense (12,090 yards).

Story courtesy: Atlantafalcons.com

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