Is Taylor Heinicke meant to challenge or support Desmond Ridder?

After over a decade of Matt Ryan starting at quarterback, last season was a transition period for the Atlanta Falcons at quarterback. They went into the season with Marcus Mariota as the starter and Desmond Ridder eventually took over and finished the season with two straight wins.

Fans of the Falcons went into the offseason with thoughts of a big trade for Lamar Jackson or drafting someone with their first-round pick. It seems the book has closed on either of those options now that the team has signed Taylor Heinicke to a two-year contract.

Heinicke is a bit of a folk hero amongst NFL fans since his performance in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three seasons ago. He ended up starting 15 games the following season but struggled with turnovers and ended the season with a losing record.

Last year, Heinicke began the season as the backup to Carson Wentz before eventually starting nine games and leading the Commanders to five wins. Once free agency rolled around, he was viewed as one of the high-end backup/low-end starter options on the market.

Now that the Atlanta Falcons have signed Heinicke, the question becomes: “What is his purpose in Atlanta?”. There are three routes the team can take at quarterback and we’ll examine each below.

A True Quarterback Competition: Depending on the quality of a team’s quarterbacks, fans either love or hate a quarterback competition. Some lead to success stories similar to Geno Smith with the Seahawks whereas options such as Baker Mayfield vs. Sam Darnold lead to a sense of dread from their respective fanbase.

If the Atlanta Falcons decide to move forward with a true competition, it could either lead to Ridder feeling pushed and allow him to grow as a passer, or it could cause him to feel a lack of confidence from his coaching staff and stunt his long-term career growth. The risk versus reward will be something for the team to consider as they get closer to training camp.

Ridder Starts All Season: With only four starts in his NFL career, Desmond Ridder still has a lot to prove to his coaching staff, general manager, and the Falcons fans. The best long-term option for the team could be to let Ridder start every game, grow through the pains of playing in the league, and see how things go by the end of the year.

The only problem to this approach is that head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot will likely face questions about their future in Atlanta if the team fails to reach the playoffs this season. A fear of losing their jobs could inspire either man to give Heinicke a few starts if the team begins to struggle.

Spot Starter Approach: The worst approach for the team is the spot starter approach where they shuffle between both quarterbacks depending on how they’re playing week-by-week. We’ve seen teams throughout the league try this approach over the past few years, and it typically leads to a ton of losses and a situation where neither quarterback wants to stick around.

Unless Ridder is hampered by an injury or somehow does not resemble an NFL player in any sense, it seems best for them to stick with him throughout the season and keep Heinicke as a “Break in Case of Emergency” option.