Throughout the Atlanta Falcons' extensive coaching search that included 14 different candidates, every single one of them agreed on one thing: the quarterback situation has to change.
To be fair, it doesn't take a coach's eye to see that Atlanta's quarterback situation was a problem. Arthur Smith's Falcons bounced back and forth between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke last season, and neither really inspired much confidence. The Falcons have a good set of weapons between Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but with subpar quarterback play, they weren't able to use them to the fullest.
According to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, every coaching candidate described the team's quarterback situation as "something that needs work." Now that the team has its new coach in Raheem Morris, addressing the quarterback position is the offseason's top priority.
"It's very clear to everybody -- all of our fans, all of you, anybody throughout the NFL -- is that this is a position that we need to figure out how we're going to get better in 2024 and beyond that as well, whether that be trades, free agency, the draft, whatever it may be," Blank told reporters Friday.
As Blank alluded to, the Falcons aren't limiting themselves to just one avenue when it comes to finding a new signal-caller. The Falcons owner adds that while there may not be a set plan for the quarterback position, it absolutely will be the focus of the offseason.
"This is not one of these things where we can take a year to develop a strategy," Blank said. "Free agency is coming up in a matter of weeks. Draft preparation, we're in the middle of it. (You consider) all of those things in how you put that room back together again."
"I would tell you quite honestly: 1,000 percent, there's not a defined plan. But it is being talked about. And it'll be talked about pretty intensely -- I would say -- over the next coming weeks."
Lackluster quarterback play was the Falcons' biggest problem throughout the 2023 season, so if they can fix it, they could easily be a playoff team in 2024.
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