3 Quarterbacks the Atlanta Falcons could sign to compete with Ridder

While the best move clearly remains the Atlanta Falcons building around second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder the team shouldn’t simply hand Desmond the job. Atlanta needs to add a reliable veteran backup to come in and compete for the starting job. It is a balancing act of setting Ridder up for success while providing competition that hopefully brings the best out of Ridder.

Desmond already has the advantage of being the clear favorite for the job and working with his teammates for a full season. A quarterback competition should be held with the expectation that Ridder is given the inside track with the Falcons only replacing the second-year quarterback if the competition isn’t close.

Atlanta needs to provide another option for themselves while still setting Ridder up for success. Desmond showed steady improvement in the final four starts of the year but was facing below-average quarterbacks in the final two games against David Blough and Kyle Trask.

Looking at this year’s free agents three names, in particular, stand out as fits both for Arthur Smith’s offense and as starting options if Ridder doesn’t take the expected step forward.