Why the Atlanta Falcons should have cut Taylor Heinicke before Chargers trade

The last four years of quarterback management from the Atlanta Falcons front office continue to be a huge red flag for the franchise. Before we dive in on Heinicke let's review the recent history at the position and why there should be so little trust in Atlanta's decision-makers when it comes to the quarterbacks.

First, you have the fact Atlanta pushed franchise legend Matt Ryan out the back door. This was after a season that felt like the veteran was being sabotaged. Ryan consistently took a beating behind Jalen Mayfield and a terrible offensive line without one primary receiver to throw to.

His reward? Getting pushed out without warning because the Falcons wanted to chase after Deshaun Watson. This was ill-advised for a myriad of reasons. Even if you blame owner Arthur Blank for this what about the decisions to follow?

The Atlanta Falcons front office has a pattern of poor quarterback evaluation and management

Marcus Mariota was Atlanta's next answer and even when it was clear he wasn't getting the job done rookie Desmond Ridder was held out of the lineup. A decision that would cost the team another lost season and cost head coach Arthur Smith his job.

The same Desmond Ridder who was just cut by the Cardinals and unable to beat Clayton Tune for the backup role in Arizona was Atlanta's next franchise answer. The fact they had him in the building for over a year and still believed he was going to be a potential answer for the position is beyond alarming for their talent evaluation.

Setting up a great time to remind fans Atlanta could have allowed Matt Ryan to finish his career and contract playing the last two years of his deal in Atlanta. Yes, things were ugly for Ryan in Indy but do you really believe he could have been worse than Mariota or Ridder? It was time to move on if you had a better answer, but the Falcons didn't and pushed the best player in franchise history aside.

Even if you're able to look past this consider the trio of Heinicke, Ridder, and Mariota. The time and money were wasted on players who looked completely lost on the field. This brings us to this week's trade of Taylor Heinicke to the Chargers for a 6th round pick.

It is a win for the Falcons getting a pick back for a player who was never going to see the field. However, it was a trade that never should have happened. Atlanta keeping Heinicke serves as another example of poor quarterback management.

Why didn't Atlanta bring in another rookie or project player to develop behind Penix and Cousins? Rather than re-working Heinicke's deal the Falcons could have cut the quarterback early in the offseason and saved around $7-million in cap space.

There is an easy argument to be made the preseason snaps for an inexperienced player and the cap space are of far more value than a 6th round pick and a burnt final roster spot.

Taylor Heinicke is another example of why there should be distrust in Atlanta's front-office management of the quarterback position. As much as it appears a page has been turned with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. there is reason to be wary of a team who has such a poor series of moves at the most important position on the field.