Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Still viewed as Falcons' starter
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Despite the Falcons' reported signing of Taylor Heinicke, Ridder is still expected to enter training camp as the starting quarterback, ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports.
It's become evident that Atlanta wants to see what it has in Ridder, the No. 74 overall pick in last year's NFL Draft. He made four starts to close out his rookie season but wasn't all that impressive, completing 63.5 percent of his throws for 177 yards per game with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Heinicke could give Ridder a run at the top job in camp, but the former Commander has already demonstrated he isn't a 17-game starter in the NFL.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Leads team to Week 18 win
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Ridder completed 19 of 30 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's 30-17 win over Tampa Bay. He also rushed twice for nine yards.
Ridder wasn't overly prolific or efficient, but he avoided turnovers and made plays when he needed to. He had a strong connection with Drake London, who finished with a career-high 120 receiving yards, but Ridder's touchdown passes went to Olamide Zaccheaus and MyCole Pruitt. It was Atlanta's second win with Ridder under center, and the two-game win streak to end the campaign is certainly an encouraging finish to build off of going into the offseason. However, the Falcons are likely still going to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, leaving Ridder's future unclear.
Ridder completed 19 of 26 passes for 169 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Cardinals. He added four rushes for nine yards.
Ridder has still yet to throw a touchdown through three career starts, though he's reached 6.5 yards per attempt in each of his last two games. He did very little early in Sunday's win, though he led a game-winning drive in the final moments of the fourth quarter during which he went 3-for-3 for 31 yards to help get the team in field-goal range. Though the Falcons have remained a run-focused offense, Ridder has shown a baseline ability to run the offense in the first few starts of his career.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: More efficient in loss to Ravens
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Ridder completed 22 of 33 passes for 218 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's 17-9 loss to Baltimore.
He added eight rushing yards on four carries. The young QB was much more efficient than he was last week in his NFL debut and showed great chemistry with fellow rookie Drake London, who accounted for 96 of his 218 passing yards, but Ridder still failed to produce a TD, just as he did against the Saints. The 2022 third-round pick will have two more chances to complete his first career touchdown pass before the end of the season -- next week against the Cardinals and in Week 18 against the Buccaneers, both home games for the Falcons.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Underwhelming debut
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Ridder completed 13 of 26 passes for 97 yards and rushed six times for 38 yards during Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Saints.
Ridder completed just half of his pass attempts and had an interception overturned to start the second half, resulting in an extremely disappointing debut through the air. However, the rookie third-round pick attempted to salvage his offensive production by showcasing his dual-threat ability. Overall, there wasn't much to take away from Ridder's performance, but the lone bright spot was the connection he appeared to have with fellow rookie Drake London, as the duo connected seven times (11 targets) for 70 yards. With Marcus Mariota (knee) out for the remainder of the regular season, Ridder should continue drawing starts, regardless of his performance.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Set to take over as starter
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The Falcons plan to install Ridder as their new starting quarterback after their Week 14 bye, with the rookie set to make his NFL debut in the team's Dec. 18 game in New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The shakeup at quarterback comes after the Falcons dropped four of their last five games heading into the bye week, with incumbent starter Marcus Mariota having completed 59 percent of his throws for 6.5 yards per attempt and a 5:3 TD:INT over that stretch. Ridder, a third-round pick out of Cincinnati, possesses a dual-threat skill set like Mariota, and Atlanta is hoping that his insertion as the new starter can help jumpstart an offense that ranks in the bottom five in the NFL in points per game. Ridder hasn't seen any action in relief of Mariota this season, but he showed promise in the preseason. In three exhibition contests, he completed 34 of 56 attempts (60.7 percent) for 431 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while carrying eight times for 58 yards.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Starting chance not imminent
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Ridder isn't expected to receive an opportunity to displace incumbent Marcus Mariota as the Falcons' starting quarterback so long as Atlanta remains in playoff contention, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After the Atlanta offense floundered in consecutive losses to the Chargers and Panthers, Mariota's job status has come into question. Even though Mariota has completed just 61.9 percent of his attempts and has cleared 200 passing yards on only three occasions this season, he's amassed 347 yards on the ground and has accounted for 15 touchdowns to help keep the Falcons reasonably competitive. Even though Atlanta enters Sunday's matchup with the Bears sitting on a 4-6 record, the Falcons are just one game out of first place in the NFC South, so head coach Arthur Smith will continue to stick with the veteran quarterback for the time being rather than getting an early evaluation on Ridder, a rookie third-round pick out of Cincinnati. Like Mariota, Ridder, who has yet to make his NFL regular-season debut, offers some upside as a runner that would presumably allow Atlanta to run a similar offense if Smith opts for a change at quarterback later this season. Ridder acquitted himself reasonably well in three preseason appearances, completing 34 of 56 attempts (60.7 percent) for 431 yards (7.7 YPA), three touchdowns and two interceptions while carrying eight times for 58 yards.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: One TD, two interceptions Saturday
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Ridder completed 14 of 21 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Saturday's 28-12 preseason win over the Jaguars. He also rushed twice for minus-1 yard while playing into the fourth quarter of Atlanta's preseason finale.
This performance showed why the Falcons plan to open the regular season with Marcus Mariota under center and are likely planning to keep starting him for most or all of the season. Ridder's a good athlete, but the rookie third-round pick still needs to work on his decision-making as a passer. His first pass of the game was picked off, and while Ridder bounced back with a two-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Tyler Allgeier on the next possession, he was intercepted again in the final seconds of the first half.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Atlanta catches in third round
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The Falcons selected Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 74th overall.
Ridder fell much further than expected, and while there was a reason for that descent, this still looks like an excellent pick for the Falcons. Ridder lacks a strong arm and isn't the most natural passer, but his leadership character and work ethic are exceptional and he should present as a rushing threat in the NFL thanks to his 4.52 speed. Ridder (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) was a program-defining player at Cincinnati, where he was a highly successful four-year starter, and he'll likely get a shot to start in Atlanta even with Marcus Mariota the favorite for the top job in the short term.
