Falcons DE Calais Campbell 'Banking' on Desmond Ridder Development

Desmond Ridder is a huge key for the Atlanta Falcons and their success in 2023.
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New Atlanta Falcons defensive end Calais Campbell wants to win a Super Bowl.

Despite receiving interest from teams closer to that goal, Campbell opted to sign with the Falcons, but he believes Atlanta can compete. However, a big part of that has to do with the improvement from second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder.

"I'm banking a little on the young quarterback developing," Campbell said on CBS Sports' "The Crew" Podcast. "We played them last year, I missed the game, and he played a great game, a heck of a game, gave us a run for our money. I think our defense was pretty good late in the season - they put nine points up, but they were in the red zone a lot; he made a lot of really good throws, and that played a big role."

During Campbell's free agent visit with the Falcons, Ridder came up in conversation and eventually he was sold on the 2022 third-round pick.

"I watched tape with Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot and the offensive coordinator came in, and we just watched tape on the quarterback and they made me a believer that he has the tools to develop and be a really good player," Campbell said.

It takes more than one player to win a Super Bowl. In fact, it takes at least 53, and often times more. But Ridder and Campbell are expected to be leaders on each side of the ball in 2023, and their leadership skills will have a large impact on the Falcons' overall success.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.