The Desmond Ridder trade caught Falcons fans by surprise.
The former third-round pick was shipped off to Arizona in exchange for former Cardinals’ second-round pick Rondale Moore. It gave both players a necessary change of scenery and effectively gave Taylor Heinicke the backup spot behind Kirk Cousins, or so we thought.
In my mind, Ridder was always the better option to keep over Heinicke when the Falcons signed Cousins. He was actually more effective and cheaper, compared to the veteran Heinicke. However, the potential to add more speed to the offense with Moore was too enticing for Atlanta to pass up.
But Heinicke’s spot isn’t guaranteed, according to Raheem Morris. The Falcons new head coach told reporters at the owner’s meetings that he will compete with whoever the team brings in as the third quarterback.
The Falcons would save $7 million against the cap in 2024 if they parted ways with the veteran, who completed just 54.4% of his passes last season, which is by far the lowest rate of his career.
The only scenario I see playing out where Heinicke isn’t on the roster is if a rookie unseats him. Spencer Rattler, Michael Pratt, and other Day 2 and Day 3 draft targets are who Falcons fans should have their eyes on.
Atlanta could want an experienced veteran behind Kirk Cousins, who is coming off a major injury, but I maintain that Ridder would’ve been able to provide equal, if not better, production than Heinicke at a much cheaper cap number.
We’ll see what this quarterback-centric coaching staff ends up doing.
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