How the Falcons move forward at the quarterback position in 2023

ATLANTA — Four. That’s how many games Desmond Ridder had to show the Falcons coaching staff that he was one to bet on in 2023. This season – which ended on Sunday with a 30-17 win over Tampa Bay – was always a bridge to what came next. Nothing depicted that more poignantly than the quarterback position. And after Ridder was drafted by the Falcons with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he became a part of that bridge.

This season was not the one that would solidify the quarterback position. It could begin to show a direction, though.

After more than a decade in Atlanta, the Falcons moved on from Matt Ryan this offseason. They picked up Marcus Mariota on a two-year deal, and then they drafted Ridder. They had pieces, but would these pieces be a part of the bigger future picture? Well, they had an opportunity in front of them to see.

Mariota served the Falcons well in his role as the starter from Week 1 to the bye week in Week 14. By that time, though, the Falcons playoff hopes were slim and they owed it to themselves to see what they had in Ridder. Could he be more than a bridge in Atlanta? Could he be a destination? He was given four games of play for the Falcons staff to ultimately evaluate.

In said games, the Falcons were 2-2, finishing the year 7-10. Individually, Ridder finished his four-game slate going 73-of-115 through the air for 708 passing yards (224 of those yards came on Sunday). He has a 63.47 completion percentage, and though he was sacked nine times in four games as well as only throwing two touchdown passes, he never threw an interception. The Falcons were also never really penalized for much pre-snap.

More than the totals, though, you actively saw Ridder become more and more comfortable 1) in the NFL pocket and 2) operating within Arthur Smith’s offense. From one start to the next, Ridder’s stat line only improved, too.

All of this begs the question, though: Did Ridder do enough to solidify himself as the Falcons starter in 2023?

That’s not an answer anyone has yet. Heck, the 2022 season just ended for the Falcons on Sunday. With what could end up being around $70 million in cap space available and a top-10 draft pick, the Falcons will do their due diligence in bringing in quarterback competition to push Ridder. Regardless of how Ridder performed through four games, that was always going to have to be the case for Atlanta in 2023.