NFL QB Rankings: Where's Falcons' Desmond Ridder?
The Atlanta Falcons are rolling with Desmond Ridder again this season after several chances to sign a more established player.
Ridder led Atlanta to a 2-2 record as the signal-caller after being named the starter in December.
Since being named their starter, head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot have passed on opportunities to potentially "upgrade" on the former third-round pick, and instead, they've looked elsewhere to bring in new additions to the team.
Despite starting in the last four games last season and playing well enough to keep the Falcons competitive, the jury is still out on Ridder and whether he can be the answer long-term in Atlanta. This sense of doubt isn't just exclusive to fans but it is also being portrayed by analysts like NBC Sports' Chris Simms.
The NBC Sports analyst has started releasing his top-40 quarterback rankings ahead of the NFL regular season. The first set of Simms' rankings was released on Wednesday, featuring numbers 36-40. Interestingly, the Falcons' Ridder was included in this set, coming in at No. 40.
While these rankings are subjective, seeing who ranks above Ridder is intriguing. Simms has Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders, Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, and Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts all ahead of Ridder.
The more apt comparison for Ridder in this first set of rankings would be the Commanders' Howell, who, despite only playing one game as a rookie, we've seen him on an NFL field.
But as the Falcon faithful are well aware this offseason, many folks in the media have spoken out against a move that Atlanta made or did not make, like the decision not to pursue Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson when it looked increasingly likely that he would play somewhere else this coming fall. That decision by the Falcons was met with backlash from the media, where some people proclaimed it meant that the Falcons didn't care about winning.
Ultimately, the Falcons are sticking by Ridder, and he'll look to prove his critics wrong in 2023.
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