Could Desmond Ridder compete with Marcus Mariota for Falcons' starting job?

Needless to say, the NFL offseason hasn't gone quite the way many with the Atlanta Falcons envisioned. Atlanta seemed to be one of the favorites to land star quarterback Deshaun Watson before he surprisingly waived his no-trade clause to join the Cleveland Browns, and the Falcons' public pursuit of the controversial figure resulted in veteran Matt Ryan exploring his options. 

Atlanta ultimately shipped Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, signed Marcus Mariota to be its new starter and then spent a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to take Cincinnati signal-caller Desmond Ridder. It's assumed Ridder will learn the pro game watching from the sidelines as Mariota works, but Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot suggested during an appearance on "Pro Football Talk PM" that the rookie could win the QB1 gig this summer. 

"I would say at any position on our depth chart, it’s all the same that right now we’re going to have going into camp we’re going to have 90 players all competing to be the 53 plus 16," Fontenot explained, according to PFT's Mike Florio. "On a weekly basis, they’re going to be competing to get a jersey on game day to be one of the 48. That’s truly how we see this. We’ll continue to add competition at every position and that’s what’s really exciting about this." 

When speaking about Ridder, Fontenot added: 

"[H]e does have a chip on his shoulder, he always has felt like he has something to prove, and he’s one of those guys that whether he goes in the first round or the seventh round, he’s going to be that type of worker that brings it every day. We’re excited to take Desmond at that time, excited about the time we spent with him, and we’re excited to get him here so we can go to work." 

Teams often use this time of year to insist a proven quarterback will start over a first-year pro regardless of what occurs in training camp sessions and preseason games. Interestingly, Fontenot didn't do so when given the chance less than a week after Ridder joined the club.