“Nothing is ever written in stone,” Arthur Smith said Friday evening after the team drafted Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.
While Marcus Mariota will enter the next phase of the offseason as the presumed starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Smith’s comments following the addition of Ridder seem to leave the door open for competition in Flowery Branch.
"As always with any position on this team, the best player is going to play," the Falcons head coach also said.
The Falcons moved quickly to bring Mariota into the building after Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts in hopes that he can return to his 2017 form when the former second overall pick took the Titans to playoffs. However, it wasn’t a surprise when the Falcons added a quarterback in the draft, and with many of the top prospects at the position still on the board, the front office put their faith in the Ridder.
The 6-foot-4 signal-caller—who has drawn comparisons to Mariota—led the Bearcats to an appearance in the CFB Playoff in 2021 and certainly isn’t shy on confidence saying that he won’t leave Atlanta until he delivers a Super Bowl. For now, he’ll assume the role of a backup, but his college head coach Luke Fickell knows that Ridder will respect the process and embrace the opportunity to earn his stripes.
“There will be no doubt that he is much better when in competition. He is much better when he’s thrown something in front of him. We always tried to do that, which obviously got harder the further into his career he got, but that’s where I’m so excited to see what he does with all that around him in that competition,” Fickell told Thomas Mott on 92.9 The Game.
Ridder went 44-6 as the Bearcats starting quarterback and was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year in both 2020 and 2021. In his senior season, Ridder threw for over 3,300 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing nearly 65 percent of his passes.
In addition to the obvious physical traits that he possesses, Smith praised the leadership qualities that Ridder brought to Cincinnati. How quickly Ridder can adjust to the speed of the NFL and the ability to address what Smith sees as a few “minor technical things” will determine if he can challenge Mariota for the starting role under center in Atlanta.
Even if it’s not this season, the investment of a third-round pick in a quarterback with other holes to fill on the roster indicates that the Falcons believe Ridder can be the future at the position.