Ted Nguyen of The Athletic believes Falcons rookie QB Desmond Ridder is "mentally ready to handle being an NFL starter." Nguyen calls Ridder "a poised, polished prospect who played in a Cincinnati offense that utilizes many drop back concepts that translate to the pro game." He lauded Ridder's reading of defenses and decisive downfield throws in the preseason. Nguyen also acknowledged that the Falcons "seem set" on starting QB Marcus Mariota in Week 1. And it's worth noting that the veteran finished the preseason with the highest Pro Football Focus passing grade in the league (albeit on just 12 attempts across 15 dropbacks). Unless Mariota has the team surprisingly in contention, though, it would make sense for the Falcons to give Ridder a shot this season to see if he can be the future or if they need to pursue a 1st-round QB next April.
The Falcons will bench QB Desmond Ridder for the second time this season, The Athletic reports. Ridder mustered just 152 passing yards with one TD and one INT in the Week 15 loss to the Panthers. He's at 10 TDs vs. 10 INTs for the season and ranks 32nd among 33 qualifying QBs in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. This figures to be the end of Ridder's tenure in Atlanta. We'll see where he lands in 2024, but it's likely to be as a backup. QB Taylor Heinicke will take back over for the Falcons vs. the Colts this weekend. He's made three appearances this season, registering a 55.4% completion rate and 6.7 yards per attempt. Those marks are both worse than Ridder's this season.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that he plans to go with QB Desmond Ridder as the starter the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein. That aligns with reports on Smith's plans from before he announced the switch back at QB. Neither Atlanta QB has played well for a meaningful stretch this season. So this situation likely doesn't mean a lot for fantasy impact. We'll see whether Falcons coaches succeeded in correcting Ridder's pitfalls while he was out of the lineup.
The Falcons will start QB Desmond Ridder vs. the Saints in Week 12, according to NFL Network. QB Taylor Heinicke didn't prove to be an upgrade over the last three games, completing just 55% of his passes at 6.7 yards per attempt. So Atlanta will go back to Ridder, who's registered a 65% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt this season. "The Falcons believed the bulk of Ridder's mistakes were correctable & felt he had a lot of learning to do," NFL Network's James Palmer tweeted. "A move back to him was always planned unless Taylor Heinicke went on a ridiculous run. It wasn't like they fell out of love with Ridder. Needed a reset." Ridder sat 18th among QBs in fantasy points through Week 7 and will return as a mid-range QB2. The Falcons have the ninth-toughest remaining QB schedule, although there are positive matchups vs. the Colts and Bears in Weeks 16 and 17.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that he'll wait until after the Week 11 bye to name a starting QB going forward. QB Taylor Heinicke struggled in the loss to the Cardinals before exiting early in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. QB Desmond Ridder went four of six for 39 yards and scored a nine-yard rushing TD over the final 14 minutes. Smith praised Ridder's play in his Monday press conference, so our guess is that he'll be back under center come Week 12. But we'll let you know what Smith makes an announcement next week.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said after Sunday's loss to the Titans that QB Desmond Ridder wasn't removed from the game for "performance issues." It's unclear exactly what that means. Ridder was reportedly evaluated for a concussion but was cleared to return. No other injury was announced. “We've got a lot of confidence in Des," Smith added. We'll keep an eye on the situation this coming week. QB Taylor Heinicke played well in the second half today, completing 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards, one TDs, and 0 INTs.
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