Will Desmond Ridder be on the Atlanta Falcons roster next season?

Unless the Atlanta Falcons see a drastic change from Desmond Ridder it is clear the team is going to be in the quarterback market. Despite having Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder both under contract for next season the team should be expected to part ways with one of their signal-callers with the other winning the backup job.

If the Atlanta Falcons make a move at quarterback, Desmond Ridder is likely to be back next season. The quarterback will be in the third year of his rookie deal and a very cheap backup option. With the level of play Atlanta was given by Taylor Heinicke the decision should be an easy one.

While the offense might have scored more consistently the throws and mistakes were still just as bad as when Ridder was starting. Taylor Heinicke is a far bigger cap hit and moving on from the quarterback helps Atlanta bring in a starting quarterback or add to another position.

If the Falcons choose to add to the quarterback position the obvious argument is keeping Ridder as a cheap backup and opening up cap space by cutting Taylor. This isn't anything against Heinicke but rather the reality of the cap situation for the two players.

Taylor didn't impress in his short stint as the starter and in that is the only excuse Atlanta needs to cut the veteran in favor of Ridder. While Heinicke has shown a higher consistent ceiling, he struggled in Smith's system and wasn't an upgrade over Desmond.

Ridder at least still has the ability to grow as a player and could be an interesting wildcard if forced into action next season. Atlanta fans should have their eyes on Kirk Cousins or Jayden Daniels as the top possible targets the team could land this off-season. Anything less will bring Ridder back into the starter conversation.