3 potential Atlanta Falcons quarterback replacements for Desmond Ridder
Unless Desmond Ridder has a breakout season, the Atlanta Falcons will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Ridder will not be considered at this point unless he wins out and has a spectacular playoff game. Arthur Blank has a history of being a patient owner when it comes to head coaches.
This most certainly indicates that Desmond Ridder will be the starting quarterback this season, and Smith will return for a fourth season alongside a new quarterback. With a poor finish, both Ridder and Smith are seeking for fresh opportunities in the 2024 season.
Whatever happens, it’s evident that Ridder hasn’t done enough to earn another season thus far. There are glimpses of brilliance, but they are followed by egregious errors or Desmond simply dropping the football. Ridder’s turnovers and Smith’s playcalling make keeping Desmond in the lineup untenable until something significant changes.
Winning a playoff game or having a tremendous error-free day in his playoff debut would put him in the conversation. Anything less, and Ridder will be blamed for the season’s failure, and Atlanta will be looking for a new quarterback. This leaves us looking for the greatest conceivable market matches, with one name obviously sticking out.
Kirk Cousins
Following Josh Dobbs’ performance against the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings have returned to earth at the quarterback position. It is apparent how much Kirk Cousins contributed to this club. Cousins is a top-five quarterback in the NFC and, when healthy, is in the top 10 in the NFL. With Cousins on this current Atlanta roster, the Falcons would win the NFC South and be legitimate postseason candidates.
This doesn’t mean this is a Super Bowl roster, but with Cousins on the field, they could win a round or two. Kirk is the ideal candidate for Arthur Smith’s system, with the one drawback being his lack of mobility.
Kirk would better utilize Atlanta’s weapons and give the Falcons an attack that demands respect past the sticks. Atlanta has the cap space to sign the veteran and clearly is going to be a desirable landing spot with a very winnable division and great young weapons. In this scenario, the Falcons would sign Cousins and look to draft a receiver and pass rusher early in the draft. That is more than enough to win the NFC South and put the Falcons back to respectability.
Jayden Daniels
Drake Maye and Caleb Williams will almost certainly be off the board before Atlanta has a chance to select. As a result, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels are possible first-round picks. Bo Nix would be a bad choice that would land the Falcons back in the quarterback market.
Daniels a great fit for Atlanta’s weapons, however, the issue is Daniels is likely to be off the board before Atlanta’s pick. The difference here is that Atlanta will have a far better chance to trade up to take Daniels without spending the future of the franchise. If the Falcons are willing to develop a quarterback Jayden is the best fit for this franchise. Draft Daniels and keep Ridder as the cheap backup.
This would allow the Falcons to build a complete roster saving money at the most important position. The downside to this move is that it yet again pushes the Falcons window to compete knowing they will be developing a young quarterback. The upside is the obvious chance to find a franchise guy saving cap space they can use to build a strong roster.
Baker Mayfield
Baker could be the Falcons’ best choice if they want to go the cheap veteran rental route. Mayfield is ready to become a free agent and is torn between being a decent starter and an outstanding backup option. Other candidates in this area include Sam Darnold, Jameis Winston, and Gardner Minshew. When it comes to veterans, the quarterback market is depressing.
Following Kirk Cousins, there are a slew of middling starters and exceptional backups. For Atlanta, however, any of these names will be vastly superior to what they have received from Desmond Ridder this season. Baker is far from perfect, but his clutch talent has kept a team that should be rebuilding in the division race.
Atlanta got a front-row seat to what that looks like this week, thanks to Baker’s game-winning drive to take the division lead. Baker is the best quarterback in our division right now and could easily keep that position on Atlanta’s roster next season. The Falcons would sign Baker to keep the door open for Ridder while also adding an inexpensive starter to focus on building out the rest of the roster.
