The big story of the bye week is that the Falcons have decided to start rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder. A related story... the Falcons have also plucked eternal prospect quarterback Logan Woodside from the Titans practice squad. Woodside was originally drafted by the Bengals out of Toledo in the late 7th round (#249 overall) in 2018. After being dropped by Cincinnati, he started 8 games for San Antonio in the defunct AAF in 2019, and then landed with the Titans. He appeared in 11 games for Tennessee through 2021, including 6 games in 2020 with Arthur Smith as his offensive coordinator. He threw 3 passes, completing 1 for 7 yards. Scouting reports describe him as a game manager type, undersized with not so strong an arm but a gritty competitor with good accuracy and a great understanding of the game. Ideal fit is a West Coast type system. In other words, meh. What this means for everyone else: initially I figured Woodside was coming in to be the scout team QB. Ridder had been getting those reps in practice, but now he'll be leading the regular offense. The coaching staff would not likely want to have the veteran Mariota relegated to scout team duties. But now we're hearing that Mariota has been dealing with a knee issue and will likely be placed on IR. The articles are also suggesting that Woodside is here to be the primary backup. If that's accurate, it means that Feleipe Franks is now a tight end on a full time basis and is no longer in the picture as a quarterback except in an extreme emergency situation. I won't list Franks as an Odd Man Out quite yet however, because the only tight ends under contract beyond this season are Kyle Pitts, Franks, and injured rookie John FitzPatrick. Arthur Smith uses multiple TE sets as much as any coach in the league, so it's likely that four will make the roster next year. Also, fullback Keith Smith will be a free agent after this season, and Smith might opt to use tight ends as lead blockers. That gives Franks a solid chance at making the roster as a tight end even if the team resigns one or more of the pending free agents.
