The Atlanta Falcons are entering the third year of the Arthur Smith era this season and are looking to take a step forward after a 7-10 campaign last season. The team had a big hole to fill at quarterback last year with the offseason departure of Matt Ryan and they ended up relying on veteran Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder to take snaps throughout the season.
For prospective fantasy managers, we’ll take a look at both the starting and backup QB’s for the Falcons heading into the 2023 season.
Falcons starting quarterback: Desmond Ridder
Ridder will be the definitive starting quarterback in Atlanta for the 2023 season as the organization elected to not take another QB in the NFL Draft this past April. Appearing in four games as a rookie last season, the Cincinnati product completed 63.5% of his passes for 708 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were not explosive from a fantasy perspective as Smith simplified the offense to prevent the rookie from making backbreaking mistakes.
Now entering his second season, more responsibility will fall on Ridder’s shoulders as will be asked to carry the ATL offense. He’ll have a potential cheat code to hand the ball off to in rookie running back Bijan Robinson, as well as viable receiving targets in Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Still, I wouldn’t expect Ridder’s fantasy numbers to jump off the page this year.
Who is Desmond Ridder’s backup on the Falcons QB depth chart?
Former Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke signed with the Falcons in the offseason and will be Ridder’s backup to start the year. Heinicke showed various flashes of success in his few seasons in Washington, throwing for over 3,400 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2021. Taking over for an injured Carson Wentz midway through last season, he posted a 5-3-1 record through nine starts and was effective before relinquishing the job back to Wentz at the end of the season.