With Michael Penix Jr. hurt again and Kirk Cousins too expensive to retain, the Atlanta Falcons know they'll have to address their QB woes this coming offseason. Penix's absence is likely to extend into the start of next season, meaning the Falcons have to set their sights on short-term bridge options.
Cousins is under contract through 2027. but the Dirty Birds are expected to exercise the out in his deal in order to save money this offseason. This means that the Falcons will be right back to square one in QB purgatory, meaning Terry Fontenot will likely bring a familiar name to Atlanta this spring.
Back in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Falcons selected Desmond Ridder with the 74th overall pick, who crashed and burned. 12 picks later, the Titans drafted Liberty's Malik Willis, who has struggled just as much, but has emerged as a potential starter-worthy signal-caller since being traded to Green Bay.
Falcons' decision to pass on Malik Willis for Desmond Ridder is coming back to haunt them
After Jordan Love suffered a concussion on Saturday against the Bears, Willis stepped up for the Packers in Love's place, and impressed. The fourth-year quarterback completed 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while adding 44 rushing yards on 10 carries on the ground in the loss.
The Packers might've lost an overtime heartbreaker, but it wasn't Willis' fault. The 26-year-old displayed his arm strength on a beautiful 33-yard score to Romeo Doubs, and his athleticism makes him a weapon in multiple different facets—which is something this offense hasn't seen in years.
Despite making just six career starts, Willis has consistently displayed flashes of being a decent situational starter or solid backup, which is exactly what the Falcons need. Ideally they need pursue a more established product behind Penix, but someone who isn't as old or expensive as Cousins is.
Even if Willis isn't the starter, he could play a Taysom Hill-like role where his athleticism could play a factor on short-yardage situation since both Penix and Cousins are as slow as molasses. However, he comes with legitimate risk just like how the Justin Fields signing resulted in legit disaster for the Jets.
Willis is a low-risk, high-reward option the Falcons absolutely have to consider since he was nearly drafted by the team a few years back. And his performance against the Bears only confirmed he'll receive starter consideration when he hits the market, so they should absolutely consider this move.
Behind Penix, the Falcons don't need someone expensive like Mac Jones. All they need is someone who could help elevate the offense like Willis coud, especially with the elite weapons he'll be throwing to because even Cousins' three-touchdown performance may not be enough to keep him in Atlanta.