3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons won’t stick with Desmond Ridder this off-season

2. Arthur Smith knows it is time to win

This will be Arthur Smith’s third season with the Atlanta Falcons and the first time his seat could grow warm if things don’t go according to plan. We know that Smith is a great coach with a bad roster able to get seven-win seasons out of a roster that is objectively a 3–5-win team. Smith knows now is the time the team has to win and the pressure of that could lead to Atlanta searching for a star quarterback.

This would be a mistake if the Falcons are forced to mortgage their future for a quarterback in favor of building a complete roster around Desmond Ridder.  While this seems obvious Smith and the Falcons have been stubborn at the quarterback position.

Whether it was their poor decision-making at the position last off-season or sticking with Marcus Mariota instead of giving Ridder a chance earlier in the season Smith never seems to make a clear decision at the position.  There is an argument to be made that with Drake London and Tyler Allgeier, Matt Ryan could have won the NFC South even if Atlanta lost the mobility that Mariota brought to the mix.

Smith is a good coach but one who is going to be under pressure in 2023 and has a history of making questionable decisions with his quarterbacks.