Falcon Report

NFL Power Rankings: Falcons Dragged Down by Desmond Ridder?

The Atlanta Falcons are putting Desmond Ridder under center this season, and not everyone is convinced that will lead to strong results.

Jeremy Brener

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The Atlanta Falcons are getting into the groove of training camp, entering a season where they have a lot to prove.

After missing the playoffs in each of the last six years, the Falcons look to end that drought, but they are doing so with Desmond Ridder under center, who only has four starts in his brief NFL career.

Ridder's inexperience caused Bleacher Report to rank the Falcons No. 27 in its latest power rankings.

"There's no camp battle, mind you—second-year pro Desmond Ridder is "the guy" this season," Bleacher Report writes. "Ridder has some passing-game weapons at his disposal in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, and Ridder said he's looking forward to continuing to develop a rapport with his young pass-catchers."

Ridder hasn't proven to be the future franchise quarterback yet, but every signal caller has to start somewhere. For Ridder, that meant sitting behind Marcus Mariota for nearly a year before taking the reigns last December.

Now, Ridder has had a full offseason of acting like the starter, and the weapons around him ... tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson ... give some kind of hope that he can succeed.

If Ridder can play mistake-free football and allow his playmakers to make plays, the Falcons will be jumping up the power rankings in no time.

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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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