Taylor Heinicke gives brutally honest assessment of his future with Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons clearly had a quarterback problem last season. They found themselves switching between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinice before giving Logan Woodside the final few snaps of the season.

The new coaching staff saw the problem and attacked it as aggressively as possible by signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick.

They then traded Desmond Ridder for some receiver depth and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Taylor Heinicke would be released. However, after a salary cut, the team kept the veteran journeyman who now understands his situation.

Taylor Heinicke doesn't expect to be with the Falcons much longer

It isn't often you see a player give an honest assessment about the situation he is in. With players in Heinicke's position, you frequently hear things along the lines of "I believe in myself and my ability," "I know what I can do," "I don't pay attention to my situation," yada, yada, yada.

That is not the case for the second-year Falcons quarterback who gave an honest quote to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC about his circumstances.

"Yeah, I kind of see the writing on the wall, it’s nothing that I haven’t been through before. So, I accept my role in any case. My role, for me, and what I think is to help Kirk any way that I can. If he has any questions. Same thing with Mike. Sometimes the game is fast. Sometimes everything is fast for rookies."

- Taylor Heinicke

It is refreshing to hear the truth. There is nothing wrong with him saying this; it doesn't decrease the likelihood of him making the roster, it just lets the fanbase know that you are aware of your surroundings.

He sees the reality of the situation. The team didn't just hand Kirk Cousins $180 million or use the eighth pick on Michael Penix Jr. to start Taylor Heinicke at any point in the future. This isn't the greatest position to be in if you are him but he is doing what he can to stick around, not to mention, he is still getting paid a lot of money.

It isn't like his career is over. With the emergency quarterback rule, he still has a good shot at making the final roster. We shall see what ends up happening as Terry Fontenot makes his final cuts come late August.