The Falcons are seeking a new head coach. After that, they’ll be seeking a quarterback.
There’s talent on the Falcons’ roster, especially with the offensive skill positions, but the lack of quarterback could make the job less appealing in comparison to other openings. The Chargers, for instance, have a young star signal caller in Justin Herbert. The Commanders don’t have a quarterback but do own the No. 2 overall pick, which positions them to land a coveted prospect.
Arthur Smith is no longer the Falcons’ coach largely because of the team’s poor quarterback play over the past two years. The team failed to adequately replace franchise icon Matt Ryan, using Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke over the past two seasons to poor results.
During a 90-minute press conference with reporters Monday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank presented his stance on how their quarterback situation impacts their coaching search. He believes the blank slate at the position – Ridder and Heinicke are under contract but neither should factor into the team’s plans – should appeal to coaching candidates.
Blank’s full answer when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked how the lack of an answer at quarterback could affect some popular coaching candidates’ interest:
“Having the right quarterback in the NFL is a really big deal. It doesn’t mean you necessarily have to have a top two-or-three-or-four-or-five. You’d like to be in that position, but you do want to have a quarterback who’s going to be certainly in the top half, top quartile of the league, and somebody who’s going to give you a chance to win. Being able to score points in this league is important. You have to be able to defend, too, but being able to score points in this league is really important.
“So I think, in my opinion, I would say: You have certain situations around the NFL – I’m speaking a little out of school, but you look at the young man (Herbert) who’s in (Los Angeles). They have a fine quarterback. You could say that’s an advantage. On the other hand, I could easily make the argument that you have potentially a pretty rich quarterback draft this year. There will probably be some quarterbacks available in free agency or by trade as well. So I think to a new head coach, that’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to pick their own partner, their own spouse, if you will. Who they can grow with, who they can select or however we acquire their rights, draft or free agency, whatever it may be.
“So I think in many ways, the foundation that’s built here, the roster that’s built here – on the offensive side of the ball, you look at an offensive line that the year before last, was the third-highest rushing in the NFL. That’s not one game, that’s over the course of a season. This year, down a little bit from that but still competitive running the ball. You look at the quality of the draft picks we’ve had on the offensive side in the last three years, and an offensive line that’s extraordinarily well-coached and well-prepared and plays hard every week with virtually no injuries.
“So I think to the right kind of coach, this is an opportunity. This is a big part of what we have to pick going forward, but I’d rather pick my own spouse than have somebody else pick them for me.”
The free-agent market is currently slated to have multiple accomplished starters. The Vikings’ Kirk Cousins and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield are the top two, while the Broncos are expected to release future Hall of Famer Russell Wilson.
It’s notable that Blank cited this quarterback-rich draft class. The Falcons have the No. 8 overall pick, which means they’d likely need to trade up for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels – the consensus top-three signal callers. The Bears, Commanders and Patriots own the top three selections and it’s possible the trio could be gone within all those selections.
But there are other quarterbacks: Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., whose Huskies faced the Wolverines in the national championship Monday. Oregon’s Bo Nix is unrecognizable from his Auburn days and it’s possible he’s a top-50 selection. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Washington State’s Cam Ward and Tulane’s Michael Pratt could also be earlier selections.
Whatever the avenue, the new Falcons coach will have a new quarterback. Blank, who described the team’s quarterback play this season as “deficient,” didn’t shy from acknowledging that. And this new coach-quarterback duo will decide whether the Falcons pull out of this rut or continue extending their playoff drought.
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