'I'm Here for Him': Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke 'Ready' as Desmond Ridder's Backup

Newly signed Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke has been both the young passer trying to find his rhythm and the wily veteran backup tasked with helping the next generation of signal callers ... and he's set to do the latter for Falcons second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder in 2023.

When the Atlanta Falcons signed former Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke in free agency, the intent appeared to be clear ...

Let Heinicke compete with last year's third-round pick Desmond Ridder for the starting job under center, but likely lean towards the latter leading the team in Week 1.

But as it turned out, that wasn't the intent - and Heinicke was well aware of it when he signed his two-year contract.

“I’m going to try to be the best backup I can to him," Heinicke said. “... They drafted (Ridder) high last year for a reason. They believe in him for a reason - he showed some good film last year."

And with that, no announcement is necessary from Falcons coach Arthur Smith or general manager Terry Fontenot surrounding the starter, as Heinicke put the idea of a competition to rest before taking an offseason snap.

Atlanta was impressed with Ridder's four-game tryout to end this past season; he completed 63.5 percent of his passes and threw for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while posting a 2-2 record.

Perhaps most importantly, Ridder showed progress in each start and checked just about every box that Smith laid out for him - to the point where the competition-focused third-year coach doesn't see the need for one this offseason.

However, that's completely fine with Heinicke - he's used to it at this point in his eight-year career.

Undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2015, Heinicke was forced to fight his way onto the Minnesota Vikings' roster, which he did as the third-string quarterback.

It was there where Heinicke met Shaun Hill, who was in the final two years of a 15-season career spent largely as a backup. Hill, similarly, went undrafted in 2002 and was forced to scrap his way onto the Vikings' roster as their third-string quarterback.

Through his first five seasons, Hill didn't throw a regular season pass; during his career, he only played in 49 games with 35 starts ... but he made a living out of playing football, and Heinicke wanted to do the same.

As such, Hill became a "great mentor," helping ease the transition from college to the NFL amidst "a lot of things getting thrown at you from every direction."

And now, Heinicke's seen his career come full circle ... and aspires to pay it forward to Ridder.

"I just hope to do the same for Desmond," Heinicke said. "If he needs anything from me or if I see anything that can help him with, that’s what I’m here for. I’m very excited to work with him.

"I’m trying to help him in any way that I can."

Beyond the opportunity to help mentor a young quarterback, Heinicke's found himself in a similar situation to year's past with the Commanders.

Following a breakout performance against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL Playoffs, Heinicke returned to Washington - but as veteran signal caller Ryan Fitzpatrick's backup.

However, a Week 1 injury to Fitzpatrick forced Heinicke into action, and he ultimately ended up starting 15 games, missing one due to COVID-19.

The 6-1, 210-pound Heinicke completed 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions; the Commanders went 7-8 in his starts.

Despite keeping Washington's season afloat, Heinicke once again watched as a new quarterback was brought in - this time, it was Carson Wentz, a former MVP runner-up coming off a difficult year with the Indianapolis Colts.

Like previous times, Heinicke accepted the backup role and helped Wentz get acclimated to the playbook ... only to become the starter in Week 7 when the latter went down with an injury.

The Commanders won five of Heinicke's first six starts before a tie and two losses resulted in him losing the job for a week to Wentz and then declining the starting nod in the season finale so that rookie Sam Howell could make his debut.

Across nine starts, Heinicke threw for 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 62 percent of his passes - along with making a classy gesture to benefit Howell, which shows his actions match his words.

In essence, Heinicke is who he is - a stellar, well-liked teammate who's proven he can win when thrust onto the field ... though he hasn't done enough to firmly win a starting job.

Perhaps most importantly, Heinicke has no ego and appears content to backup Ridder - but he's also lived through three seasons of sudden quarterback mishaps that resulted in him getting the nod.

As such, Heinicke knows how to approach the job and is adamant he'll be prepared if Ridder goes down ... and once more, his past actions match his words.

“If something unfortunate happens to him, I’ll be ready to go," Heinicke said. "That’s kind of been my life the last three years. It’s kind of the same territory ... So again, I hope that doesn’t happen to Des - I hope the best for him. I hope he stays healthy.

"But I feel like I’ve kind of gone through every situation you can kind of go through in football. It’s really kind of molded me to the player and teammate that I am today.”

And that "player and teammate" is going to be critical in Ridder's development and, as a result, Atlanta's season - even with the job description for Heinicke being that he won't get much of a chance to compete.

But ultimately, Heinicke saw firsthand how impactful veterans can be on young players with the way Hill handled things in Minnesota, and he's already aware of the demands of being a backup quarterback.

And for that, Heinicke has immense value - and will always be there to prove it alongside Ridder.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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