Drake London expects Atlanta Falcons QB Desmond Ridder to 'silence those doubters' in 2023

Desmond Ridder is the starting quarterback for the Falcons. But as we count down the hours to opening weekend, it’s not clear how much faith Atlanta has in the former Bearcat star.

Yet receiver Drake London came to the defense of the Falcons second-year quarterback. Maybe he wants to silence any negative game chatter during game week. The Falcons kick off the season against the Panthers this Sunday at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Atlanta selected Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The team didn’t expect him to start right away. The Falcons already had traded Matt Ryan, with former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota slotted at QB1. But coach Arthur Smith benched Mariota and gave the keys to Ridder, who started the final four games of the season.

So that’s Ridder’s base of experience — four NFL starts.

“People didn’t really see all of Dez,” Falcons receiver Drake London told reporters. “Now they get to see him and get see what he does, so I think he’ll shut a lot of people up a for sure.”

Of course, London and Ridder were in the same draft class, with the Falcons picking London with the eighth pick of the 2022 draft. London caught 72 passes for 866 yards last season. In the finale, London grabbed six passes for a cool 120 yards. So he’s got no issues with Ridder.

But there are signs that the Falcons, themselves, have doubts. For one, his fellow teammates didn’t vote him a captain. Captain honors went to defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, defensive back Jessie Bates, kicker Younghoe Koo and offensive linemen Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom.

Then there’s what the Falcons did with another quarterback on the roster. Atlanta signed journeyman Taylor Heinicke, who started 24 games for the Commanders the past two seasons. He signed a free-agent deal that’ll pay him $7 million. That’s a high-dollar contract for a backup.

Now, toss it back to spring, when the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, their superstar quarterback, hit an impasse in their contract talks. Talk radio in Atlanta was afire with callers wanting Jackson to come play for the Falcons.

“It puts a chip on my shoulder,” Desmond Ridder told The Athletic. “But at the end of the day I can control what I can control. I know at the end of the day I’m gonna go out here and work to be the best player I can be not only for myself but for my team as well.”

Ridder went 2-2 as a starter. He completed 73 of his 115 passes for 708 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.