As the Atlanta Falcons move toward cutting their 75-man roster down to the mandatory 53 players by Saturday afternoon, coach Dan Quinn will have a decision to make at the quarterback spot behind Matt Ryan.
The competition was a two-man battle between T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree. Then 35-year-old veteran Rex Grossman was added to the mix in time for Thursday night's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
Only Renfree and Grossman played in the team's 20-19 win Thursday. Renfree completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in 38 snaps and was sacked twice. Grossman completed 4 of 9 passes for 41 yards and was sacked twice in 28 snaps.
Renfree did stand in and take a vicious hit and still deliver a pass to a streaking Carlton Mitchell, who took it in for a 25-yard score. Meanwhile, Grossman never really got going.
Quinn implied afterward the decision would come down to either Yates or Renfree.
"We'll have to go back and watch the stuff from tonight but right now, Sean and T.J. are going to be the ones we're focusing on," Quinn said when asked if Grossman remains in the mix.
Renfree, a former seventh-round draft pick, spoke about his chances of possibly securing a roster spot as Ryan's backup.
"It is obviously not in my hands, but I feel good about myself and the way I played, the preseason I had, and the game I had," he said. "I made some improvements every day. I know that is what coach is looking for, and that's all I can do."
Grossman was unavailable after the game.
Meanwhile, Yates got his extended look last week in Miami, where he completed 18 of 28 passes for 187 yards and was sacked three times in a team-high 51 snaps played.
For the preseason, Renfree completed 26 of 36 passes (72.2 percent) for 237 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions and a passer rating of 99.0. He was sacked four times.
Yates completed 35 of 58 passes (60.3 percent) for 370 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 64.6. He was sacked five times.
The fact that Renfree has practice squad eligibility remaining could make the decision that much more interesting. The Falcons also could add another quarterback later on if they feel a capable backup becomes available after cuts.