Atlanta Falcons: Breer pinpoints when he thinks Desmond Ridder could become starting QB

NFL reporter Albert Breer has given his thoughts on when he imagines Desmond Ridder will become the starter for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons are very much in rebuild mode right now, best demonstrated by their decision to trade away Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts this past summer, the man who had been their franchise quarterback ever since they drafted him with the 3rd pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

This past offseason they looked to address both the short and long-term future of the position through both free agency and the draft, bringing in veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota to take on the immediate duties, then taking Desmond Ridder with the #74 pick in April’s draft.

They do also have Feleipe Franks left over from last season, but with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith stating that Mariota would begin this offseason as the starter and with Ridder looking to develop, Franks will take the #3 spot on the depth chart.

The 2022 draft class was not exactly ‘stacked’ when it came to quarterback talent, which is best demonstrated by how long it took for a number of them to come off the board, with only one taken in the first round, but when it comes to college production, Ridder could claim that he managed to hold his own.

He put up more than 10,000 yards during his time at the University of Cincinnati as a four-year starter to go along with 87 touchdowns, with his performances enough to thrust the Bearcats into the College Football Playoff in 2021 as he also finished 8th in Heisman Trophy standings: 

Desmond Ridder's 131.4 Passer Rating on 20+ yard throws led college football