Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota told reporters that he will "absolutely" mentor rookie signal-caller Desmond Ridder when asked about it during a Thursday press conference:

Absolutely. I kind of always view that relationship in the quarterback room as important and special. I always felt that a good quarterback room can allow everybody to be better and allow everybody to grow. ... At the end of the day if they've got questions or I've got questions, they're a great set of eyes for me as well.

Mariota, a seven-year NFL veteran, signed a two-year, $18.75 million deal with the Falcons this offseason. He's replacing Matt Ryan, who started 14 years in Atlanta before the Falcons traded him to the Indinapolis Colts this offseason.

The Falcons also picked up Ridder in the NFL draft with the No. 74 overall draft pick this year out of Cincinnati.

The quarterback mentoring question has come into play this offseason after Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill was asked about such a potential relationship with rookie Malik Willis, who is now aboard the AFC South champions after going in the third round.

Tannehill later clarified the comments and said he meant no disrespect whatsoever.

There's no issues on Willis' end either, as the ex-Liberty star said, per Ben Arthur of the Tennessean: "We chopped it up. It was never anything negative. Ryan is a good dude. … Everything is cool, man."

Everything also appears cool in Atlanta as the Falcons try to figure out a long-term solution at the position.

The Falcons certainly have options at quarterback between Mariota and Ridder. The 2023 draft class also appears rich with prospects with potentially Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young, Stanford's Tanner McKee and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke all in the mix.

Atlanta is in a transitional period after the end of the Ryan era. The Falcons did post a respectable seven-win season amid a significant rebuild under new general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.

Any quarterback drama doesn't appear to be a hindrance toward that goal as the Falcons look toward their 2022 season opener versus the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 11.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced donations to the Sandy Hook Promise foundation and the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention on Friday through his Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

Blank donated $100,000 to each organization in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, over the past two weeks:

In his statement, Blank called for addressing the "mental health crisis" in the United States, as well as "sensible gun reforms."

Payton Gendron has been charged with shooting 13 people at a supermarket in Buffalo on May 14, killing 10 of them. The 18-year-old Gendron reportedly posted a racist manifesto online before the shooting.

Each of the 10 people killed in the Buffalo shooting was Black.

In Uvalde, Salvador Ramos shot and killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School, including 19 students. Ramos, 18, was ultimately shot and killed by police when they intervened.

Sandy Hook Promise was created following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children between the ages of six and seven.

In its mission statement, Sandy Hook Promise notes its goal is to end school shootings through "sensible, bipartisan school and gun safety legislation."

The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention pushes for the implementation of hospital-based violence intervention programs meant to aid those injured in violent attacks both physically and mentally.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith scoffed at the notion the team is already looking ahead to the 2023 NFL draft.

The Athletic's Jeff Schultz asked Smith whether he and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot have discussed the 2023 draft class, to which Smith responded that the line of questioning was "a waste of your time and my time": 

It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard — that a team would try to not win football games. If you don’t, there’s going to be consequences. OK, you’re at the top of the draft — I got it. But you’re in a very transactional phase of the National Football League right now. Trades in the draft. Trades for quarterbacks. It’s a different landscape than when Jimmy Johnson took over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. It was pre-free agency. The famous Herschel Walker trade. They blew it up and went 1-15, and … it was a long rebuild. That is not the same NFL as today. Back then, people would’ve given their first born before they gave their picks away. People are still going off old narratives, and it’s comical. Any good team knows how to rebuild every year.

"Yeah, we're planning on losing as many games as possible" isn't exactly the message a coach will want to send his players in the offseason.

Nobody at the Falcons would admit it, but it sure seems like Atlanta is building for the future at the expense of the present.

After going 7-10 in 2021, the franchise traded starting quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts and spent the seventh-least amount ($63.6 million) in free agency, per Over the Cap. The roster isn't going to be significantly better than it was last year.

Coming out of the draft, the Falcons were 29th in Bleacher Report's power rankings. Five wins is their over/under at DraftKings Sportsbook, which also lists them with the longest odds (+8000, $100 bet wins $8,000) of winning the NFC.

Being terrible this year would mean potentially having an opportunity to select Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski projected Stroud to go second overall to Atlanta.

Perhaps Smith's squad will exceed expectations. Finishing near the bottom of the NFL would set the table nicely for 2023 and beyond, though.

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After 14 seasons and 222 starts, the Atlanta Falcons moved on from Matt Ryan this offseason, trading him to the Indianapolis Colts.

While some fans may take a bit of time to get used to a new quarterback under center, head coach Arthur Smith thinks it's all part of the business. 

"It wasn't tough, because it had nothing to do with the respect I have for him," Smith told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer of the trade. "We'd moved on. He had a great career, and I'll always be appreciative of it, very thankful I got to work with him. But we moved on, and that's the nature of the game. Professionally, you have to separate that from your personal relationships and do what’s best for the team and organization. And that's what we did."

The Falcons made their desire to move on all but known by getting into the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. While Atlanta ultimately lost out to the Cleveland Browns, the writing was on the wall for Ryan's tenure in Atlanta. The Falcons traded Ryan to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick and signed Marcus Mariota to be their presumed starter in one fell swoop on March 21.

Smith is coming off a 7-10 debut campaign as a head coach, a mark that clearly left him unsatisfied with the roster's direction. The former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator went with a largely status quo roster, minus Julio Jones, in 2021 and seemed committed to Ryan as his quarterback.

That changed as the season went along, with the Falcons offense sputtering amid a dearth of skill-position talent and Ryan failing to prop it up. Ryan threw for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions during the regular season.

The yardage number was his lowest since 2010, and his 20 touchdowns tied for the second-worst mark of his career—a major concern given that he had an extra game to work with. Ryan's 46.1 QBR was the worst mark of his career.

The Falcons set off for what appears to be a short-term rebuild, one likely aimed at landing a quarterback at the top of the 2023 draft. 

Ryan, meanwhile, will be the latest in a revolving door of Colts quarterbacks since Andrew Luck's retirement in 2019. 

Liberty star Malik Willis "lacked the signature moments" in college in the eyes of the Atlanta Falcons, which led them to target Desmond Ridder instead, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler added that Atlanta thought the Cincinnati signal-caller "showcased a more complete body of work."

"Plus, Ridder's confidence and polish in the process helped," per the report. "Coaches who interviewed him noted that the QB outlined his plans to unseat a veteran wherever he landed."

After the Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, many expected them to target a quarterback in the 2022 draft despite them having signed Marcus Mariota. Ridder was the second QB off the board when Atlanta selected him 74th overall in the third round.

Willis' potential is obvious.

In two years at Liberty, he threw for 5,107 yards and 47 touchdowns and ran for 1,822 yards and 27 scores. He possesses the raw tools to thrive at the next level.

Willis is widely viewed as a long-term project, though, and a riskier bet than others in the draft class.

Ridder, on the other hand, was a four-year starter at Cincinnati. He threw for 10,239 yards and 87 touchdowns and added 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground.

The Falcons' assessment of the two ultimately aligned with that of Bleacher Report.

Ridder was the top quarterback and the 17th player overall on B/R's final big board, while Willis was the No. 2 QB but No. 48 overall. B/R NFL scout Nate Tice's NFL comparisons drew quite the contrast as well. Tice likened Ridder to two-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott, with Willis put in the same breath as Tyrod Taylor.

In a down year for quarterbacks, one could argue the Falcons should've taken the biggest swing. The upside of Willis far outweighs the downside of a third-round pick yielding little long-term value.

With Ridder, however, Atlanta still found a prospect who can be a genuine successor to Ryan under center.

A recent charity run that showcased Robert Griffin III's speed on the football field could get him an opportunity to play in the NFL. 

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Logan Mullen of Audacy.com), Griffin said "a plethora of teams" have reached out to him after he ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash as part of the "Run Rich Run" charity event during the NFL draft. 

While Griffin didn't specify which clubs contacted him, he listed the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears as teams he would like to play for if he returns to the NFL. 

"Going back home to Texas with the Dallas Cowboys, I know a lot of Washington fans don’t want to hear that, but that would be a great situation for me. The Atlanta Falcons being there with (Marcus) Mariota and (Desmond) Ridder would be a great situation for me. Going to Chicago with Justin FIelds to try to help as much as I possibly can in that quarterback room would also be a great situation."

Griffin, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft, last played during the 2020 season with the Baltimore Ravens. He started one game in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers when Lamar Jackson was unavailable after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. 

It marked just the second start by Griffin in his three seasons with the Ravens. He also started the team's regular-season finale in 2019 after they had already locked up the AFC North title and No. 1 seed in the playoffs. 

After going unsigned as a free agent after the 2020 season, Griffin signed a multiyear contract with ESPN to be a college football and NFL analyst in August 2021. 

"ESPN has been great through this whole process and understanding that I still want to play," Griffin told the AP after the deal was signed. "I still love the game. If that opportunity doesn't come, I'll be giving everything I have to ESPN and this process."

Griffin told Eisen he "would go do it" if an NFL offer that he liked presented itself. 

All three teams Griffin cited as his preferred destinations do have a need, to some extent, for a backup quarterback. Cooper Rush is the No. 2 option behind Dak Prescott with the Cowboys. 

The Falcons just drafted Desmond Ridder after signing Marcus Mariota in free agency. Mariota seems likely to be the starter going into this season, but head coach Arthur Smith is keeping the door open to a competition during training camp. 

Griffin's speed and running ability give him a high floor. He hasn't been an accurate passer since the early days of his career with Washington. The 32-year-old has a 16-26 record as a starter with 9,271 yards and 43 touchdown passes in his NFL career.     

The Atlanta Falcons released running back Mike Davis after one season with the franchise Monday.

Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported the news, and Davis seemingly confirmed his departure on Twitter.

The Falcons will save $2.5 million in salary-cap space by releasing Davis. The Georgia native signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract last offseason in hopes of being the Falcons' top running back.

While he started eight games, Davis fell behind Cordarrelle Patterson on the depth chart and struggled being effective. He rushed for 503 yards while adding 259 as a receiver, scoring four total touchdowns. Patterson totaled 1,166 yards and 11 touchdowns in a breakout season.

The Falcons re-signed Patterson to a two-year, $10.5 million contract in March. They also added veteran Damien Williams on a one-year contract and drafted Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round of last week's NFL draft, leaving Davis as the odd man out.  

Davis will be looking for his sixth NFL team at the age of 29. He previously played for the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers in addition to Atlanta.

Former LSU and Cleveland Browns teammates Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are still free agents after the close of the NFL draft on Saturday.

As far as potential landing spots go, Beckham's best spot would still appear to be the Los Angeles Rams, where he finished off last season. Landry's top spots look like the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.

Beckham told a Twitter user that he would re-sign with the Rams when they sent a "real offer."

It's clear that Rams general manager Les Snead wants Beckham back.

"He's someone that we definitely want back," Snead told reporters in March.

"A little bit more complex situation based on the injury. We envision it being similar but different circumstances to last year. When Odell is ready to play, we'd appreciate him being part of [the Rams]."

Tyler Dragon of USA Today reported April 8 that the Rams were still a possibility. Beckham is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals and isn't expected to be ready for Week 1, but he's recovering well and reportedly has multiple teams interested.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that OBJ was open to the possibility of returning to the Browns, where he spent 2019-2021.

However, Cabot said a return was unlikely, and that door appeared to slam when news broke that Beckham was selling his Columbia Station, Ohio, home that he bought right before his first game in Cleveland.

The Falcons selected USC wide receiver Drake London with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but they did not select any other pass-catchers.

Atlanta still needs work at the position after losing Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage over the past two years, and Landry could be a starter alongside London.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported in March that Landry would pay a visit to Atlanta.

As for the Saints, New Orleans has a pair of starting wideouts in Michael Thomas and now Chris Olave, who went No. 11 overall in the draft. Adding Landry to play the slot would give New Orleans one of the best wideout trios in the NFL. It's already pretty good with Tre'Quan Smith there right now, but Landry would be an upgrade.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Landry was set to visit the Saints on April 20.

In sum, Beckham and Landry are two of the best free agents on a long list of talented veterans remaining out there post-draft. Some clarity should come to light soon enough as depth charts take better shape.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Cincinnati star Desmond Ridder with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

The 22-year-old was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 17 overall player on the B/R NFL scouting department's big board. He's now the second QB off the board behind only Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, who went in the first round.

Here's how the former Bearcats signal-caller fits in Atlanta's quarterback depth chart: Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Feleipe Franks.

Cincinnati made history in 2021 as the first Group of Five program to crash the College Football Playoff party. Ridder was a big reason for that success, throwing for 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions while running for 355 yards and six scores.

The Bearcats were ultimately overmatched by Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, and Ridder finished 17-of-32 for 144 yards as the offense mustered just six points and 218 total yards.

That performance did little to dent his draft stock, though.

B/R NFL scout Nate Tice compared the 6'3" signal-caller to Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott, noting Ridder has impressive mobility but excels as a traditional QB out of the pocket:

"Ridder also shows an advanced pre-snap operation, adjusting protections and moving his teammates around as needed in a calm manner. His processing also shows up when progressing on passing concepts. He keeps his eyes downfield and shows the ability to truly get through multiple read plays. When paired with his very good pocket movement, he is able to get to the correct throw on a variety of different passing plays."

The Louisville, Kentucky, native participated in the Senior Bowl, which helped solidify his status as one of the best players at his position. In the event itself, he looked good en route to throwing for 68 yards and one touchdown on eight attempts.

Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash also described Ridder as "arguably the biggest winner of the bunch" during Senior Bowl practices, which is when NFL personnel does a lot of evaluating.

Ahead of the 2022 draft, much of the discussion about the quarterbacks was prefaced by how relatively weak the incoming group is.

In January, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Jordan Reid compared this year's draft to 2000 and 2013, when the first QB wasn't selected until the midway point of the first round. They added there wasn't much consensus as to the top prospect under center.

Because of how quickly first-year signal-callers are often thrust into the starting role, it seems reasonable to assume Ridder won't be riding the pine for too long. Tice added he "shows enough advanced play that he can start for an NFL team as a rookie."

Going from the AAC to the NFL will be an adjustment, but it's not hard to see why the Falcons were willing to gamble on Ridder.

This time last year, Atlanta passed on the opportunity to pick Justin Fields or Mac Jones as the potential long-term successor to Matt Ryan. With Ryan now a member of the Indianapolis Colts, the team couldn't go another offseason without identifying somebody who could inherit the four-time Pro Bowler's mantle.

The Falcons already signed Marcus Mariota, who likely has the inside track on the starting job for Week 1. Mariota's presence will allow the franchise to make Ridder's transition to the NFL a gradual one.

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly targeting a wide receiver with the No. 8 overall pick in this month's NFL draft.

Matt Miller of ESPN reported the "hottest rumor" is the Falcons targeting a pass-catcher for the second straight draft. Atlanta selected tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 pick a year ago.

While it's rare for a team to draft a pass-catcher at the top of two straight drafts, the Falcons are in a unique scenario after losing Calvin Ridley to a one-year suspension for gambling.

After sitting out the free-agent period at wide receiver and not landing anyone at the position via trade, the team's depth chart is essentially barren of any top talent. Olamide Zaccheaus currently projects as the Falcons' top wide receiver next season.

The Falcons could be in a position to land the top receiver in this class as well. Wideout is considered arguably the deepest position in this class, with B/R's scouting department ranking six receivers in their top 21 players. USC's Drake London is considered the best of the bunch at No. 3 overall, but it's possible he slides out of the top five because of the overall depth of the position.

London recorded 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns last season in only eight games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury that's also prevented him from working out for teams during the draft process. He's set to have a pro day April 15.

The Falcons don't appear particularly concerned with competing for division titles this season after trading away Matt Ryan following their failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson. It's likely Atlanta uses 2022 as a gap year before drafting or trading for its quarterback of the future a year from now—likely when said quarterback can have two promising young weapons in Pitts and a wideout to be named.