Last season, the Atlanta Falcons got some of the worst quarterback play in the NFL. Among the 45 quarterbacks who threw at least 125 passes, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke checked in 32nd and 40th, respectively, in passer rating, and 30th and 31st in expected points added per pass attempt.
So this offseason, the Falcons will be on the hunt for a solution under center, according to general manager Terry Fontenot.
"That's a top priority for us this offseason, and it's exciting," Fontenot told NFL Network . "Again, not only people that have been in the building, but people outside of the building from Raheem (Morris) and (offensive coordinator) Zac (Robinson), (QBs coach) T.J. Yates, (assistant coach) Ken Zampese, (assistant QBs coach) DJ Williams -- we have a lot of really smart people in the building. We're going to spend a lot of time together, make sure we attack that the right way. We're not going to close any doors, be it trades, free agency, the draft. We will make sure we keep an open mind there and we're going to attack it and make sure we get it right."
Fontenot specifically stating that the team will not close any doors is particularly notable given that when the Ravens used the franchise tag on Lamar Jackson last offseason, Atlanta was one of the teams that quickly put word out that it would not pursue Jackson. Keeping the door open to trades, free agency, and the draft means the Falcons will surely be mentioned as a suitor for Justin Fields, who seems unlikely to remain in Chicago after the Bears landed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Fontenot didn't let on whether or not the Falcons would pursue him, but did say that the team would take into account its evaluation of him during his draft year as well as what he's done to date in the NFL when deciding whether to do so.
"You evaluate players at every point in their career," he said. "That's why it's so critical as we go through free agency and possible trades, when evaluating every player you're never going to look at a report from last year or the year before, we're going to look at the evolution of the players. So, yes, to answer your question, we have to be detailed and evaluate players in every phase."
Meanwhile, Atlanta owns the No. 8 overall pick in the draft and could be in position to land one of the top quarterbacks either by staying put or moving up via trade. The Falcons have used their last three first-round picks on skill position players in Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, but without the right signal-caller, they won't be able to get their offense to the level it needs to achieve to become real contenders.
