The Atlanta Falcons made some huge moves this offseason especially on defense. One position they didn’t do much with was the quarterback position. Second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder is the presumed starter and the team brought in former Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke to back him up. Many have wondered whether this duo will be able to improve the offense drastically. In training camp so far, there has been a concerning trend between the two quarterbacks.
Atlanta Falcons Quarterbacks Struggling With Deep Passes
According to Adnan Ikic of Falcoholic, neither Ridder nor Heinicke has completed a deep pass in training camp. This was the issue with the offense last year. Despite the presence of Kyle Pitts and Drake London, chunk plays were hard to come by. While the Falcons have shown they want to pound the ball on the ground more than any team in the league, at some point a chunk play has to happen. It’s only training camp but if the offense looks too similar to the 2022 version, that could spell trouble.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72453728/usa_today_20889392.0.jpg "Atlanta Falcons Quarterbacks Show Concerning Trend Over First Days Of Training Camp 2")
How Dominant Can The Run Game Be?
The Atlanta Falcons are hoping to win by controlling the clock and defense. They bolstered the secondary and the defensive line through free agency. Bijan Robinson has been turning heads in camp and looks to be a problem for opposing defenses. If this running game is dominant, the Falcons should win a good amount of games by controlling the trenches. The issue comes if they find themselves behind by 14 points. If the offense has no explosive plays, teams can load up the box and try and stop the run. This will likely be the Falcons undoing in 2023.
The hope is that both Ridder and Heinicke are simply getting back into the swing of things. If either quarterback can develop a deep ball, this offense could turn into one of the most devastating in the league.
