At this point, the Atlanta Falcons really are just playing for the 2023 NFL Draft, seeing as how they truly have no legitimate shot at competing this season. After their trade of franchise icon Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, they were tasked with finding a solution at QB, plus they still need to figure out what this offense is going to look like.
The vaunted NFC South division looks to be uber tough again, especially with Tom Brady deciding he wanted to torment defenses yet again. The Buccaneers are the favorites in the division, the Saints are an established QB away from getting back to the playoffs, the Falcons are a mismanaged mess, and the Falcons are lacking a true team identity.
But there are a few moves that the Falcons can heavily invest in this offseason that will help define what kind of team they turn into as soon as next season.
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2 Falcons Moves After The 2022 NFL Draft
2. Heavily invest in Desmond Ridder in his rookie season
The idea of punting on QB, rolling with Marcus Mariota for a season, and selecting one of the prized QB prospects early in the ‘23 draft certainly was what the plan looked to be for the Falcons as the draft progressed.
But as the ‘22 draft class produced one of the worst QBs classes in recent memory, they decided to pounce on the board and select Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, a player that at one point had some first-round rumblings tagged to his name. With Pitt’s Kenny Pickett the lone signal-caller selected in the first round, the Falcons played the waiting game the right away and came away with a low-cost, high-upside option that could eventually become QB1 for them.
But stashing Ridder on the bench for a year or two just because Mariota was brought in and paid real money is exactly what would keep the Falcons in this exact situation they are currently in. Why not bet on the high-upside, mobile option that could very easily be exactly what this franchise needs?
Arthur Smith has a prior working relationship with Mariota, dating back to the days when both were members of the Tennessee Titans. This relationship was noted as a reason that Mariota wanted to join the Falcons, which also will likely be a major hindrance for Ridder’s shot to earn real playing time this year.
1. Turn their 3 young offensive options loose
Outside of Ridder, this offense has an influx of young, high-ceiling skill players that could help reset the timeline for Atlanta moving forward. Last year’s first-rounder, tight end Kyle Pitts, this year’s first-rounder, wide receiver Drake London, and 2020 third-rounder Bryan Edwards (who was recently acquired from the Raiders) all look to be front and center for the Falcons in their offense moving forward.
Pitts had a standout rookie campaign, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards and 1 TD. Having Ryan target Pitts early and often last year certainly raised the kind of impact that Pitts can have in this offense, something that Smith will look to keep unlocked with Mariota/Ridder throwing him the ball.
London is a perfect red-zone option (as is Pitts), as the 6-foot-4 WR will likely win plenty of vertical options in his career. The former USC Trojan is going to enter camp as the team’s WR1 since Calvin Ridley has been suspended for the entire season after being caught betting on NFL games while he missed time.
Edwards was seen as a favorite target of Derek Carr’s while in Oakland/Las Vegas, but with Darren Waller, Davante Adams, and Hunter Renfrow carving out major roles, Edwards was the odd man out in that offense. For Atlanta, he is much-needed depth for a team that has next to no noteworthy depth WR options, so he will likely enter camp as the WR2 and would have to have a complete fall to lose that role.
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