Decisions, decisions
Falcons’ offseason hinges on Ridder, QB spot
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith knew the question was going to come at them as fast as a running back, so they did their best job to tackle it.
Is Desmond Ridder the Falcons’ starting quarterback going forward?
“We’re still early into the offseason but we are certainly encouraged by the progress that he’s made,” Smith said. “There is a lot of work ahead of us before we are ready to declare anything like that right now.”
Make no mistake: Before the Falcons, who finished 7-10 for the second straight season and out of the playoffs for the fifth straight year, can make any major personnel decisions, they must decide if Ridder is the face of the franchise.
After starter Marcus Mariota was benched because of a combination of poor play and an ailing knee after 13 starts, Ridder, who the Falcons chose in the third round of last year’s draft, led the Falcons to a 2-2 mark the rest of the way.
He went 73 for 115 passing (63.5 percent) for 708 yards, in addition to rushing for 64 yards on 16 carries. He threw as many touchdown passes — two — as lost fumbles and didn’t throw an interception.
His passer rating rose from 59.3 in his first start — a loss against at the New Orleans Saints — to 108.2 in a season-ending win over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he threw the first two touchdown passes of his career.
However, Ridder’s performances in the final two games came when the Falcons had nothing to play for, as they were already eliminated from the postseason.
His final two opponents, Arizona and Tampa Bay, had very little for which to play. The Cardinals had long been eliminated from postseason contention and the Buccaneers were locked into the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs, regardless of their outcome against the Falcons.
“Just be patient. Take what’s there. Don’t try to do too much,” Ridder said of his mentality. “Don’t try to force anything. You’re going to have guys open. You’re going to see guys. Just make it there.”
Now, the Falcons have to
make a decision.
If they are convinced that Ridder’s their guy, they can focus on bringing in a veteran backup. If they don’t believe Ridder can lead them to a title next season in a division where all four teams had losing records this year, then that’s when it gets interesting.
The Falcons are projected to have $75.4 million in cap space, with only the
Chicago Bears, who have the top pick in the draft, expected to have more money to spend at $101.5 million.
The Falcons can also have $9.5 million more if they cut Mariota, who left the team after he was benched. Smith said he hasn’t decided on Mariota’s future in Atlanta.
With the amount of cap space Atlanta has, the Falcons have money to spend on any free-agent quarterback, a class that includes Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, the Rams’ Baker Mayfield, the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo and the Giants’ Daniel Jones.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, also could be available through a trade since he’s failed to secure a long-term contract from the Ravens entering the final year of his current deal next season.
Jackson reportedly turned down the Ravens’ five-year extension offer worth more than $250 million with $133 million guaranteed this past September.
“Just because we have more resources this offseason, we still have to have discipline. We still have to set parameters,” Fontenot said. “We’re trying to put together a puzzle. So, sometimes what’s best for an individual player isn’t what’s best for the team.”
The Falcons could also use the eighth overall pick to address their situation at quarterback, but they aren’t expected to use their firstround pick on a signal caller.
Atlanta picked eighth overall last year and drafted receiver Drake London, who had a terrific rookie season.
He finished the season with 72 receptions, surpassing the franchise rookie record set by Kyle Pitts, who had 68 last year.
London was also just the second rookie in franchise history to record at least 850 receiving yards and four touchdowns in a season, joining Julio Jones, who had 54 receptions for 959 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011.
But London wasn’t the only Falcons’ rookie who shined this season, as Tyler Allgeier, a fifth-round pick, was perhaps the league’s best rookie at his position.
He rushed for a careerhigh 134 yards on 24 carries against Tampa Bay in Week 18 to cap a season in which he set a rookie franchise record with 1,035 rushing yards. He surpassed William Andrews’ previous mark of 1,023 yards in 1979. He’s also the sixth rookie selected in the fifth round or later to rush for at least 1,000 yards in the past 20 seasons.
“He runs hard. You guys can see that,” Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom said. “Something that you really appreciate for Tyler as an offensive lineman is the tracks and the one-cuts that he does. That’s really an art and skill, and he’s excellent.”