Atlanta Falcons Finally Starting Desmond Ridder Is The Right Move

The Atlanta Falcons have named Desmond Ridder the starting quarterback on their bye week, and it’s a crucial last month evaluation.

Earlier this week, after some pondering during the bye week, the Atlanta Falcons finally named Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback to finish out the 2022 season. Marcus Mariota had started all year long, but was put on IR and will finish the year away from the team. It’s Ridder’s show now.

It might seem like an oddity for the Falcons, especially since they are alive in the NFC South race thanks to a mediocre Buccaneers team. But, the Mariota injury clears it up a bit, and the long-term build clock in Atlanta has begun ticking, one that won’t see exceptional success with Mariota at the helm.

This move is the right one for the Atlanta Falcons to make, even if Mariota was still healthy. As much as playing for this season is important (in order to prevent losing the locker room), the Falcons need to see what they have in Ridder. There could be some big names available in the offseason at quarterback via trade, and the NFL Draft could be shaped by what the Falcons see in Ridder in these four games.

One might argue that Ridder should have a longer tryout than just four games. While that’s often true, Ridder was only a third-round pick. That just isn’t the level of commitment that many are used to with a young quarterback. A first-round pick is a different story, that’s just how it goes.

Two road games against the Saints and Ravens and home dates against the Cardinals and Buccaneers await Ridder. The good news is that these aren’t world-beating teams for Ridder to play against. Missing Kyle Pitts hurts for Ridder, but the Falcons still have Drake London and other receivers who can be threats in the passing game, not to mention do-it-all playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson. The running game will be successful enough to lean on, and we’ll get to see Ridder operate in play action and look at the type of poise and processing skills he brings to the table.

It’s going to be a fun month to evaluate Desmond Ridder, and it will give the Atlanta Falcons the pertinent information they need to plan for 2023 and beyond.