At the end of the 2022 season, the Atlanta Falcons benched QB Marcus Mariota for the final four games. That gave rookie QB Desmond Ridder a chance to prove he was worth drafting. In the final four games of the season, the Falcons went 2-2. 

There was speculation after the 2022 season whether the Falcons would continue to use Ridder as their starter. Head coach Arthur Smith announced Ridder as the planned starter in 2023. Falcons veteran DL Grady Jarrett said he’s seen the “confidence” in Ridder for next season.

Grady Jarrett loves how Desmond Ridder is able to block out the noise and stay locked in

Grady Jarrett: We’re confident in Desmond Ridder and what he can achieve. https://t.co/nQy5REaZGN

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 11, 2023

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons took QB Desmond Ridder with the 74th overall pick out of Cincinnati. For the first 13 games of the season, Ridder was on the bench and the Falcons had a 5-8 record. After he took over the starting job for the final four games, Atlanta was able to put together a 2-2 record.

Ridder attempted 115 passes last season and completed 73 of them. That’s a (.635) completion percentage over the first four games of his NFL career. He had 708 passing yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The 23-year-old is looking to build on that small success he had in 2022 and take that into his first full season as a starter in the NFL.

@GradyJarrett is confident the @AtlantaFalcons can compete in the tough NFC South this season, and spoke highly of QB Desmond Ridder on @SiriusXMNFL. #Falcons #DirtyBirds #NFL

Read more https://t.co/UM6I12Aw3i

— SiriusXM Sports (@SiriusXMSports) July 12, 2023

Defensive lineman Grady Jarrett will be heading into his ninth NFL season next year. He’s spent his entire career with the Falcons and he’s a true leader for their organization. Recently, the veteran DL gave a solid endorsement for QB Desmond Ridder.

Jarrett is impressed with how much Ridder has been working to get better and be the best player possible. He said that Ridder has what it takes and sees a ton of confidence in a player stepping into a fairly new role. The final four games of the 2022 season were enough for Ridder to get a taste of the NFL. Next season, he’ll take on that same role as the full-time starter of the Atlanta Falcons.