While Atlanta has assembled a quality group of offensive skill players, much of the team’s success will hinge on how well 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder plays as the starting quarterback.
This week, the Falcons went to South Florida to practice with the Dolphins and Ridder drew some praise from his head coach, Arthur Smith.
“That was pretty solid,” Smith said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There are a lot of things to coach off, but Des has done a good job. … A lot of time they can complete a ball and make a poor decision that you can get away with in practice. But I think his decision-making has been pretty damn good. I think his techniques are certainly improving and that’s the name of the game.”
Ridder felt like he gained some valuable experience being able to go against Miami’s defense, coordinated by Vic Fangio.
“You see a lot of similar defenses throughout our year,” Ridder said. “It’s just great to go up here and see what they do on film. Go back and watch it and know what we are going to be doing in the future.”
Smith noted he hadn’t quite made a decision on whether or not Ridder will play in Friday’s preseason game. but if Ridder is behind center, then the rest of the starting offense will play, too.
But even if Ridder doesn’t get game reps, it appears he got in some good work against a quality defense this week. And that should only help him as he prepares for his first full season as a starter.
