Falcon Report

Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke 'Great' for Desmond Ridder Development

Taylor Heinicke has helped Desmond Ridder become the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback.

Jeremy Brener

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When the Atlanta Falcons signed Taylor Heinicke to a two-year, $20 million contract this offseason, the former Washington Commanders starter knew he would be brought in as a mentor and safety blanket for 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder.

Ridder is set to start for the Falcons this season, a job that Heinicke has helped him prepare for.

“Taylor’s been a great guy for me," Ridder said. "Both Taylor and Logan [Woodside]. Both guys have been able to come in - Logan the last four games and Taylor this offseason. We've been nothing but great to each other, bouncing off ideas to each other, being able to work off each other." 

While Ridder and Heinicke are technically "competing" for the starting job, it's clear that the second-year pro will get the first shot to prove himself. However, in this "competition," both guys are working towards the same goal.

"When you talk about competition, obviously, there's only one person that can play this position on the field at one time," Ridder said. "So we know that in this job, in this profession, every job is a competition. But what we like to call it is a healthy competition. No one’s rooting each other down or rooting each other up, whatever it may be, but rather building everyone up together just because like we say, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ It's going to make all three of us better.” 

Ridder, Heinicke and the Falcons will have one more chance to compete in the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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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.

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