4 Atlanta Falcons dealing with high expectations in 2023 season

2. Desmond Ridder

Arthur Smith has built an offense that is as quarterback friendly as possible in this league. You have three running backs that have a case to be a starter and elite targets in Kyle Pitts and Drake London as your primary receivers. Add in Atlanta's great offensive line and focus on the run and Ridder's job heading into the season is as easy as the position can be.

With that said, however, it is still the most important position on the field and without question faces the most pressure. Ridder is attempting to replace a franchise legend in Matt Ryan a season after spending the majority of the year on the bench behind Marcus Mariota.

In some ways, this was a blessing for the second-year quarterback allowing Mariota to struggle and greatly lower the expectations from the position after moving on from Ryan.

Desmond simply needs to be an above-average starter for the Falcons' offense to thrive and win a lot of games. Early on every throw and big play or inevitable mistake will garner an overreaction as fans attempt to decipher precisely what Ridder's ceiling is and whether or not he is the future franchise quarterback he is believed to be.