Falcons make a QB change

The Atlanta Falcons are on a bye this week but come Week 15; they'll have a new quarterback. The team is benching starter Marcus Mariota in favor of rookie QB Desmond Ridder, a move that came too late, in my opinion.

Sources: The #Falcons are looking to the future, making a QB switch to rookie Desmond Ridder as the starter. pic.twitter.com/x5GDff5VFx

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2022

Ridder was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft after being a standout at Cincinnati. Ridder has not taken any regular season snaps yet, but he'll have extra time to prepare.

More importantly, Ridder's performance over the last quarter of the NFL season should give the team some clarity on if he is their QB of the Future.

More QB news:

• First, they lost Trey Lance. Then they lost Jimmy Garoppolo. So now, in the thick of a playoff race, the San Francisco 49ers are forced to turn to rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback. Usually, I would be panicking, but offensive lineman Trent Williams sees a tough player who doesn't necessarily act like a rookie. "You would think he's been in the league 15 years. If you're talking, he'll say, 'Shut your ass up.' He ain't no timid rookie feeling his way around. He will get on your ass."
  
  • Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about the change from Garoppolo to Purdy and how it wasn't as difficult as it was to switch from Lance to Garoppolo. "Jimmy and Brock aren't necessarily running threats, so you don't sit there and design stuff like that, but they're definitely both mobile enough to make plays with their legs."
    

• The Detroit Lions, surprisingly, are playing really good football right now. More specifically, Jared Goff is playing really good football right now. He acknowledged his play, pointing to it as the best of his career thus far. "I've played a lot of good football in my career, but I feel as comfortable as I've ever felt."
  

• As expected, Lamar Jackson did not practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Jackson exited last week's game with a knee injury. Backup Tyler Huntley should be the presumed starter for the next week, perhaps longer.
  

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson did not practice for a second straight day on Thursday. He's dealing with a knee injury.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 8, 2022

• Amid a strong 2022 for Tua Tagovailoa, he had a head-scratching performance in Week 14. He was later pulled late in the fourth quarter for an ankle injury. But head coach Mike McDaniel says the Miami Dolphins' poor performance was more than just Tagovailoa's shortcomings. "From a football perspective, everything that went wrong wasn't a direct result of the quarterback. It never is exactly like that. However, we all know that he wants to play as well as he can, and he thinks he could have done better in that game."
  
  • Tagovailoa remained limited in Thursday's practice.
    

• Trevor Lawrence did not practice on Thursday with a toe injury.
  

• The Dallas Cowboys are the current favorites to land free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but questions have been raised about his availability coming off an ACL injury. QB Dak Prescott said it's a plus if he ends up signing, but they're good with what they have if not. "We like our guys," if you will.
  

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.: “I felt like the visit went well. I know us meeting, having lunch with a couple of guys, I know it well.” Knows it’s a business. “If we get him, hell yeah it’s going to help. And if not, I’m confident in what we have.”

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 8, 2022

• Geno Smith was added to the Seattle Seahawks injury report on Thursday with a shoulder injury. It's unclear at the moment of the severity, but it is his throwing shoulder. So, it's something to keep an eye on.
  

Seahawks injury report --- still no Walker or Deejay Dallas. And certainly noteworthy that Geno Smith suddenly shows up as limited with a right shoulder injury. He was not listed with that earlier in the week. Smith did take a hard shot or two against the Rams. pic.twitter.com/VyXcJxw3Z2

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) December 9, 2022