After Michael Penix Jr., it is unclear what Atlanta’s quarterback room will look like in 2025. It appears that we will soon learn how serious the organization is about keeping Kirk Cousins in a backup role. Will the Falcons force Cousins to hold a clipboard, or are they simply posturing? If they don’t want Cousins to disrupt the team, they’ll have very few options for signing after Penix. The quarterback market is gradually drying up, leaving the Falcons with only the draft and extremely poor choices.
Desmond Ridder, a former Atlanta starter, could meet the bill. Following a disappointing 2024 season, the Raiders released the former Falcon starter.
While the backup quarterback isn’t ideal, if Kirk Cousins is replaced, the team may be left with no other option. If Cousins is retained, Ridder will be unable to make the roster. The Falcons would be smarter to use their third quarterback spot for a developing talent or a short-yardage threat.
A reunion with Desmond Ridder makes sense only when Atlanta has no other options.
It is vital to stress that any consideration of Ridder is based on a sheer lack of other possibilities rather than a good match or the possibility of future development. While the team now has superior options in free agency, it is unlikely that they will remain on the market throughout the summer.
It appears that Atlanta will keep Kirk Cousins at least through the offseason.
Superior alternatives to Ridder Teddy Bridgewater, Carson Wentz, and Tyler Huntley are among the players Atlanta hopes will remain on the market. After this trio, we’ll look at Jeff Driskel, C.J. Beathard, and other players in Ridder’s class. Struggling quarterbacks you hope never play for your team.
As painful as Ridder’s time in Atlanta was, it is worth mentioning that the quarterback accepted responsibility for his mistakes. Whether it was a mind-numbingly terrible interception or a missed play, Ridder would stand on the microphone and say the correct things.
While this does not change the reality that Ridder’s ceiling is as a third option, it does demonstrate that the quarterback might be called back in an emergency situation if Atlanta has no other option.
Leave a Reply