New Falcons OC addresses uncertain quarterback situation

New Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson spoke with reporters during his introductory news conference on Wednesday and indicated neither second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder nor journeyman Taylor Heinicke will be handed the starting job this offseason. 

"Whether it's a pocket guy, whether it's a guy that can move around a little bit, we're just looking for the best guy that we can do," Robinson said about the club's quarterback situation, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN. "Certainly know the guys that are here, we're evaluating everybody so Taylor and Desmond, we're looking at those guys. All options are on the table."

Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith gave up on Ridder for a time this past fall, and neither the 2022 third-round draft choice nor Heinicke played well enough throughout the campaign to prevent Robinson and new head coach Raheem Morris from looking for an upgrade at the sport's most important position this spring. 

According to ESPN stats, Ridder ended the regular season ranked 26th among qualified players with a 40.1 adjusted QBR and 28th with an 83.4 passer rating. Across 15 games, he tossed 12 touchdown passes and a whopping 12 interceptions. 

The Falcons have been linked in rumors with potential free agents such as Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings. It seems a lock that Tampa Bay will retain Mayfield's rights for 2024 via the franchise tag, if necessary, while Cousins made it known as recently as last month he'd like to remain with Minnesota if the two parties can work out what both deem to be a fair agreement. 

"That guy's got to be the most competitive guy in the room," Robinson said about what he wants in his QB1. "They got to have the inventory of throws."

Robinson added that he is "excited to watch a little bit more of" Ridder via evaluations. The fact that the advertised offensive guru apparently hasn't seen a lot of Ridder probably says plenty about the 24-year-old's future with the organization. 

In his latest mock draft published on Wednesday, ESPN's Field Yates predicted that the Falcons will grab Alabama Crimson Tide pass-rusher Dallas Turner with the eighth overall selection, in part because Yates had signal-callers going off his board via the draft's first three choices. It's unclear if Atlanta is willing to try to move up to at least pick No. 3 to get one of the top quarterback prospects of this year's draft class.