The Atlanta Falcons are going to have a different quarterback starting in 2022 for the first time since 2008. With Matt Ryan being traded to the Colts after the failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson, Marcus Mariota will be under center for Arthur Smith in his second season coaching the Falcons.
Waiting in the wings, however, is rookie Desmond Ridder. Ridder, who enjoyed a playoff season with the Cincinnati Bearcats last year, was drafted 74th overall by the Falcons with their third-round pick. The quarterback passed for over 10,000 yards and rushed for over 2,000 more in his college career, and was the second QB taken in this year's draft after first rounder Kenny Pickett.
Ridder's message since prior to the draft has been clear: I want to win early and I want to win often. On April 27, he penned a letter to NFL GMs in the Players Tribune in which he sold himself. When he was on the phone with Terry Fontenot when the Falcons drafted him, he didn't pull punches, saying "it shouldn't have taken this long."
But the question for the Falcons is now: What will it take for Ridder to see the field this year?
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Can Desmond Ridder start for the Falcons in 2022?
Of course Ridder starting is a possibility.
The Falcons situation this year is dire. They're devoid of talent on their roster, and they're not in that different a place from the Texans last season.
Tyrod Taylor was the presumed starter for Houston last year, much like Mariota is this year -- a transient QB who is coming in to hold the team over as they, frankly, prepare for 2023. But when Taylor strained his hamstring in Week 2 last season, third-round pick Davis Mills was forced into a starting role for the Texans and actually played relatively well, all things considered.
The Falcons and their fans, however, seem to have accepted their fate
for this season. They have the second-longest Super Bowl odds in the NFL, per Sports Interaction, ahead of only the Texans. And Ridder isn't the quarterback Falcons fans are going to be scrambling to see, particularly if Atlanta is going to try for a higher draft pick in 2023.
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What will it take for Desmond Ridder to start for the Falcons?
Mariota would either have to be unreasonably abhorrent or injured for Ridder to start next season.
Expectations are low in Atlanta next year, but the hope is Mariota can at least stem the tide for them. He signed a two-year deal with the Falcons, and part of that contract was due to Smith's familiarity with him. He played with Smith in Tennessee, which means the system won't be completely new for him.
Mariota played reasonably well filling in for Derek Carr against the Chargers in 2020, the last time he saw significant playing time. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a loss to the Chargers. If he plays at that level throughout this season, he won't win the Falcons a lot of games, but he won't be actively losing them either.
While this might all sound sobering for Falcons fans, this is Fontenot's second season with the team and it's about laying a foundation. It's important to keep in mind Ridder is behind "break in case of emergency" glass this season, particularly with Feleipe Franks being the only other quarterback on the depth chart.
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What were Desmond Ridder's stats last year?
Ridder played all four years of his college career at Cincinnati, with 2021 culminating in a playoff berth for the Bearcats. They were the first non-Power Five team to make the College Football Playoffs.
Ridder, for his part, improved year over year at Cincinnati, with 2021 posting career highs in yards, touchdowns, and passer rating.
2021 stats
| COM/ATT | COMPLETION% | PASS YDS | PASS TDs | INTs | RUSH ATT | RUSH YDS | YPC | RUSH TDs |
| 251/387 | 64.9% | 3,334 | 30 | 8 | 110 | 355 | 3.2 | 6 |
Part of what made Ridder so good and comfortable at Cincinnati was the complete nature of the team around him. The Bearcats defense generated a ton of hype last season, and it's no accident cornerback Ahmad Gardner was taken fourth overall by the Jets. Luke Fickell's offensive philosophy is also geared around good offensive line play, so Atlanta may be wary of putting Ridder behind the hodgepodge line it has assembled this year.
All in all, Ridder clearly wants his chance. He's impassioned. But the Falcons simply aren't a team looking to shock the world this year. They're biding their time and, to be frank, likely looking at an early pick next year to find a long-term option at quarterback. That's nothing against Ridder, who improved dramatically at Cincinnati and clearly has a lot of drive. It's just the situation he was drafted into.
