Why Falcons QB Logan Woodside Can Make 53-Man Roster

Logan Woodside impressed in the Atlanta Falcons' preseason win against the Miami Dolphins.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 14, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are in their first full season with Desmond Ridder as the starting quarterback, but it's important to have depth behind him.

There were 68 quarterbacks who started a game in 2022, an NFL record. Taylor Heinicke, one of those on the long list of starters, is expected to be Ridder's backup, while Logan Woodside is building a case to also be included on the 53-man roster.

Woodside got his best opportunity to prove that in Atlanta's 19-3 win on Friday against the Miami Dolphins, where he completed 14 of 23 passes for 146 yards.

“I thought he played with pretty good poise," coach Arthur Smith said. "I thought he threw some good footballs tonight. Wasn’t perfect, but I thought the ball placement was pretty good. I thought his decision-making was pretty solid. Logan’s a guy who’s continuing to improve.”

Woodside, 28, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but didn't find his footing until his second season in 2019 with the Tennessee Titans, where Smith was the offensive coordinator. The relationship built in Smith's last two seasons with the Titans helped bridge Woodside coming to the Falcons.

Woodside's familiarity with the system has made him a strong candidate to make the roster.

“I thought we did some good things offensively," Woodside said. "Obviously wish we could’ve put more points on the board. Couple things operationally I wish I could’ve had back, but overall I thought we did a good job of running the football and were able to take advantage of some shots downfield so overall just impressed.”

Woodside may not get a better opportunity to build a case for himself for the rest of the preseason, but the Falcons third-string quarterback is impressing ... and that may be all what he needs to show that he's worth the investment.

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Published Aug 14, 2023

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.