Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank stopped by Dukes & Bell Tuesday to discuss the state of the team as the NFL Owner’s meetings take place in Phoenix. Mr. Blank discussed the team’s stance on Lamar Jackson.
“Any time you have a player of that stature come to the free agency market, most teams would look at Lamar as an opportunity," Blank said. "If you look at our situation, we’re coming out of an era where 25 percent of our cap was tied up in one player. That put us in a position where we couldn’t do two things: We couldn’t build up and build out our roster not only for depth but for frontline starters. I think part of our recognition was that we had a lot to do in that regard.”
He also detailed the team’s faith in Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke as QB 1 and 2, respectively.
“Most importantly for us we drafted this young man, Desmond Ridder, in the third round. And he’s continued to show us everything we need to and beyond that to the point where Coach Smith, (GM) Terry Fontenot and Rich (McKay) all feel comfortable.”