Falcons Insider reveals why franchise is high on Desmond Ridder instead of Marcus Mariota - “They like his intangibles” (EXCLUSIVE)
The Atlanta Falcons may have found their new franchise quarterback in Desmond Ridder.
Last season, Ridder was initially pegged as the backup to veteran Marcus Mariota. However, he was promoted on bye week, after Mariota went 5-8. Heading into 2023, Mariota left for the Philadelphia Eagles, cementing Ridder's place within the roster.
And Darryl Ledbetter, a team insider for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told Sportskeeda's BallFather podcast why this was the case:
“They like his intangibles you know, they're real heavy on that… Zac Taylor recruited him out of Cincinnati, you know, recruited him out of Louisville, he went to you know, Desmond's high school and, you know, he's been under-recruited…
"At Cincinnati, they had a whole bunch of ballers up there, they would get transfers from Alabama, Michigan… He might have been a manager at Cincinnati but with a good squad and that's what the Falcons are trying to do here… putting a squad around and not put the whole thing on his own.”
Darryl Ledbetter's 2023 expectations for the Atlanta Falcons
In the same appearance, Darryl Ledbetter also predicted a playoff appearance for the Falcons, given the surprising depth of their roster. He said:
“I think it is a playoff team, and ... even with Ridder, because even if he can't throw, you can turn it over to Taylor Heinicke, and then you're back in the draft next year trying to get the North Carolina quarterback. But, yeah, they got the running game, they got the receivers, the defense is, you know, you got a lot of new pieces over there.
"They spent a lot of money, and I said it can't be worse over there, so, you know, they're down, you know, all you got to do is make a leap.”
It is not hard to see Ledbetter's point. While the Carolina Panthers look like the most promising team in the NFC South thanks to Bryce Young, the Falcons have a good offensive core of quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, running backs Tyler Allgaier and Bijan Robinson, and pass-catchers Drake London and Kyle Pitts. And they have Pro Bowlers Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom paving the way for them.
Defensively, the Falcons have upgraded with veteran Calais Campbell complementing Grady Jarrett at the line, and they have also bolstered their secondary with a pair of former Cincinnati Bengals in Jessie Bates and Trey Flowers. They also traded for Detroit Lion Jeff Okudah, leaving the linebacking corps the only major question.