The Atlanta Falcons need to get their offense going. The Bleacher Report NFL staff didn’t offer an immediately solution, but one if quarterback Desmond Ridder should continue to struggle.
The BR staff proposed the Falcons sign veteran signal caller Colt McCoy “as an insurance policy.”
“The Falcons are in a tough spot when it comes to quarterback. They likely don’t want to ruin Desmond Ridder’s confidence by benching him, but he’s holding their offense back,” wrote the BR staff. “Through Week 3, he had only two passing touchdowns and an 83.2 quarterback rating that ranked 23rd in the league.
“With Taylor Heinicke and Logan Woodside serving as the backups, Atlanta should bring in a veteran to serve as an insurance policy in case Ridder doesn’t improve soon. Out of all the signal-callers available, McCoy would be their safest option, as he has starting experience and can keep their talented offense afloat.”
The question, though, is whether McCoy is actually an upgrade over Heinicke.
AllFalcons.com’s Scott Kennedy argued that he isn’t.
“The Falcons already have a better backup plan on their roster in Taylor Heinicke over the well-traveled, seasoned, career backup Colt McCoy.”
Beginning his career as a third-round pick in 2010, McCoy has played for five NFL teams. He started at least two games for four of those franchises — the Cleveland Browns, then Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Most recently, McCoy went 1-3 as Arizona’s starter last year. In four games, the 37-year-old posted a 68.2% completion percentage and 5.9 yards per pass. He also had 1 touchdown versus 3 interceptions.
McCoy has posted a winning record during a season just once in his career. That was in 2021 when he went 2-1 with the Cardinals. He is 11-25 as a starter in his career.
With the Falcons, Heinicke is on his fourth NFL team at 30 years old. But the Atlanta native is 12-12-1 as a career starter. Last season, he led Washington to a 5-3-1 mark with a 62.2% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per pass.
He also had 12 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions.
If the Falcons do indeed make a change at quarterback, they appear to already have Ridder’s replacement on the roster.
