To say the Atlanta Falcons are in a perfect spot at the quarterback position would be a lie, but they're much better off than they were even three years ago with Desmond Ridder. Both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa have proven to be solid NFL starters, which is something Ridder never showed.
The Falcons traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2024 offseason, mere weeks before they drafted Penix and his career has been on a major decline since leaving Atlanta. He's spent time with a staggering five teams across the last two years, and was just cut loose by another team.
The latest grim reaper for the 26-year-old's career? The Green Bay Packers. Tom Pelissero reported yesterday afternoon that the Packers were signing Tyrod Taylor to be Jordan Love's new backup after Malik Willis left in free agency, but revealed they would be cutting Ridder in a corresponding move.
Falcons fans are laughing that Desmond Ridder has once again been cut
While the Dirty Birds are in a much better spot than they were at QB, Ridder's career is hanging on for dear life. He's been cut by the Bengals, Vikings, and now the Packers since the start of last season, and his last start came in Week 15 of the 2024 season against the Falcons themselves, who embarrassed him into becoming a career backup.
At the time, everyone knew Arthur Smith and the Falcons were foolish to take a chance on him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and it didn't take long to prove us doubters right. This guy lost a QB battle to Marcus Mariota and sucked so bad he was replaced by Taylor Heinicke and was traded after two seasons. He never had what it took to be a starter in this league, let alone a serviceable backup.
The Cincinnati Bearcat couldn't see the field over Clayton Tune in Arizona, Aidan O'Connell in Las Vegas, and J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz in Minnesota. He'll never start another NFL game again and either winner of Atlanta's looming QB battle is far better than Ridder. Frankly, all he is at this point is a reminder of how far the Falcons have come at the position with Penix and Tagovailoa.
At the time, the rotation of Ridder, Mariota, and Heinicke was a dark time in this franchise's history. Matt Ryan had just been dealt and the quarterback purgatory followed. His struggles forced Terry Fontenot to overpay for Kirk Cousins in the first place, but the Falcons have finally rebounded as they enter an open QB competition between two viable starting options under new coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Packers definitely upgraded to a more reliable QB2, but Ridder has proven that all he is at this point is a below-average QB3, and that doesn't cut it in the NFL. If he wants to see the field ever again or extend his playing career, I hope he starts considering other options, like the UFL or CFL.
So even if the quarterback situation isn't perfect for the Falcons just yet, things have only gotten better for them in post-Ridder life.
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