3 Underrated moves the Atlanta Falcons made in free agency

2. Taylor Heinicke

The reasons to believe in Desmond Ridder moving forward are obvious, however, if we take Ridder out of the equation Atlanta has reason to believe they can compete and make the playoffs with Taylor at quarterback.

The Falcons have won seven games each of the past two seasons with far more difficult schedules and clearly inferior rosters. Add in the fact that the Falcons were starting Marcus Mariota for the 2022 season and making the case they can win 10 games with Heinicke isn't difficult.

Taylor cannot throw the deep ball but running Arthur Smith's offense obviously isn't a requirement. Atlanta managed to play much of the 2022 season with a quarterback who couldn't complete the short throws with consistency.

If the Falcons are put into a position where they are forced to turn to Heinicke the team should be confident they will continue to win games. This is a big upgrade over the backups Atlanta has carried over the last decade with the most notable being Matt Ryan's final season playing with Franks and Joshen Rosen behind him.

Atlanta needed to add a clear second option in case Ridder is injured or fails and Heinicke is an ideal backup plan.