3 Former Falcons the team is better off without in the 2023 season

3. Marcus Mariota

It doesn't matter whether or not Desmond Ridder is the quarterback of the future Atlanta isn't going to miss Marcus Mariota. Taylor Heinicke is clearly a better option than Mariota and Ridder would have to be a dumpster fire not to be a clear upgrade.

The more you watch back Atlanta's 2022 season the worse it looks that Arthur Smith stuck with the former Titan for as long as the head coach did. Mariota consistently missed easy throws and stared down open receivers until the coverage caught up.

For as great of a runner as Mariota is he is an equally bad passer. Atlanta winning games and staying as close as they did consistently speaks to the coaching and the ability of the running game.

Mariota is no longer a starter in this league and clearly is a fringe backup needing a perfect system to win games. The fact the Falcons rather deal with the dead cap hit and move on from Mariota than have him as the backup for Ridder speaks volumes.