Now that they are finally clear of the viscous cap situation that they were plagued with for years, the Atlanta Falcons had the opportunity to go out and spend some money this offseason.
They made a number of necessary moves along the defensive front but not nearly as many on offense, at least during free agency. Many in the national media questioned that decision since they still see the starting quarterback as a liability for the team moving into the new season.
Jon Chuckery doesn't see it that way. In his eyes, Desmond Ridder need only be serviceable for the Atlanta offense to take off and the team to find success.
"Well, I'll say this. I don't think that Desmond Ridder has to be a great quarterback," Jon said about the Falcons offense. "I've said this repeatedly, I think he has to be a good quarterback and he has to be a guy who doesn't make mistakes. He has to help lead this team in the red zone."
In his four games started in 2022, Desmond Ridder threw for 708 yards and two touchdowns while completing 63.5-percent of his passes. Extrapolated over the course of 17 games, that would equate to just over 3,000 yards and 8.5 touchdowns. That isn't great, but any reasonable expert would expect for those numbers to improve given the full offseason to build comfort with his offense.
Yet even if he does see some major jump next season, Chuckery doesn't see it as an absolute necessity for the success of the team.
"I think we can win with a game-manager type of quarterback, but we're not going to win games if we continue to be a 19 to 20 sack team," he said about what he wants to see from the 2023 team. "We're not going to be a playoff defense if that's where we are, is that, if that's the idea of where we're living defensively, we're not going to be that playoff caliber defense. And to me, that's the real key of this. Again, two things: red zone offense and can we sack the quarterback."
Desmond Ridder may never reach an elite status in the league, but that's okay. That won't be what defines this team, or at least in 2023. He plays efficiently and is smart with the football. If he can be a caretaker of the offense and control the game, the Atlanta Falcons will be difficult to beat.
