4 Atlanta Falcons set for reduced roles in 2023

2. Taylor Heinicke

Taylor is clearly content accepting a lesser role this season being the first Atlanta Falcon to go on record that this was Desmond Ridder's team. Everything that you want to hear from your backup is exactly what Taylor has offered this off-season and gives the Falcons a great second option if Ridder is injured or struggles to adjust.

Heinicke is a classic undertalented overachiever in the best way possible. Whether it was fighting for his NFL career only to be thrown into a playoff game or giving the eventual Super Bowl champs all they could handle Taylor consistently has defied expectations.

This is exactly the type of backup Atlanta needed to add this off-season and they should feel more than comfortable with a player that could run Arthur Smith's system at a high level. Still, for Heinicke, this is a step back in some ways a year after getting a chance to start for Washington. A roster that clearly wasn't built to compete in a great division.

It is interesting to consider what Heinicke could look like as a starter in a quarterback-friendly system such as Arthur Smith's. However, if everything goes according to plan Atlanta will only be watching Taylor on the sideline this season.