The Carolina Panthers got Bryce Young. The Houston Texans got C.J. Stroud. Those two NFL franchises made a conscious decision to take their quarterback of the future now, instead of waiting.
This means those two organizations are out of the Caleb Williams sweepstakes at next year’s NFL draft. Which NFL clubs are in the heart of the conversation? You will see plenty of ink spilled about several teams’ aspiration to “Crumble for Caleb,” but which team has the best case to make for falling to the No. 1 pick next year?
One team in this group of potential Caleb Williams landing spots is the Atlanta Falcons.
Falcons Wire wrote the following:
“For a team like the Atlanta Falcons, who have failed to hold a winning record in over 2,000 days, their appetite for success outweighs the desire for any future college prospect. Head coach Arthur Smith is under pressure to make the playoffs this season, and he’s betting on second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder to help him get there.
“While Ridder has earned Smith’s confidence, those around the league aren’t sold on the former Cincinnati star as the long-term answer quite yet. In fact, Bleacher Report listed Atlanta as one of six teams that should consider tanking for USC quarterback Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL draft.”
Ridder would need to be appreciably impressive this season for the Falcons to feel comfortable with his evolution. If this is a stagnant and unsuccessful year for Ridder, and the NFL season arrives at Week 12 with Atlanta being one or two games out of the No. 1 pick, a tank tactic could become not just realistic, but desirable.
Check out Falcons Wire’s other stories of note:
- Fans debate Arthur Smith’s ranking
- Every team’s Non-QB MVP
- Falcons News Recap
- Arthur Smith voted 29th-best coach
- 53-man roster prediction
- Ridder named “X-factor”
- Desmond Ridder: 6th tier?
- Ranking top 10 picks since 2020
- NFL.com mocks Lamar Jackson to ATL
- Mina Kimes buys into Falcons
- Falcons starting lineup projection
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