4 Atlanta Falcons that will prove a lot of people wrong in 2023 season

1. Desmond Ridder

It is hard to argue that there is a player in the league that has been given more receipts this off-season than Ridder. From the simple analysis of "the Falcons don't care about winning" to media personalities completely dismissing Ridder it has been difficult to find any fair or true breakdown of Ridder's abilities or potential.

Whether or not Ridder admits it the quarterback has heard what has been said and it cannot help but play a factor in motivating the second-year quarterback. What much of sports media has missed this off-season is that Ridder's first four underwhelming games were still a clear upgrade over Mariota and showed a high ceiling even if the box score wasn't eye-popping.

With a full off-season as the starter and plenty of off-season upgrades Ridder's ceiling is far higher than many are giving him credit for. In Arthur Smith's quarterback-friendly offense, Desmond has an easier path to success and is capable of making all the plays you need from your franchise quarterback.

The level of disrespect that Ridder has faced this off-season has been a product simply of sports media wanting Atlanta to make a splashy move at the position not an indication of the quarterback's actual fit or talent. Something that will come back to haunt many poor takes that were given this off-season.