Marcus Mariota is not going to be the long-time answer under center for the Atlanta Falcons following the departure of former franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, which is also why the team selected Desmond Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft.

When asked by Jeff Schultz of The Athletic about how long would it take for the Falcons before they make a decision on whether Ridder is ready to take over as Atlanta's starter, head coach Arthur Smith seemingly responded in an unamused manner, to say the least.

“We want to know what we have in Marcus Mariota. So if you want to make this about ’23, and you can ask every which way, we’re focused on Week 1. We’re not going to go near some hypothetical. That’s not where our focus is now. Our focus is on the New Orleans Saints. If you want to hang out with the bots on Twitter and social media and get all these hypothetical GM scenarios or great team building or some of these other asinine narratives, go ahead.”

Clearly, Smith and the Falcons will have to check out first what Marcus Mariota could do for them in the regular season, beginning in Week 1's matchup against the New Orleans Saints at home. That being said, it feels inevitable that Desmond Ridder is going to get his shot before the end of the 2022 NFL regular season.

Before being drafted by the Falcons, Desmond Ridder played four years in college with the Cincinnati Bearcats, which culminated in a fantastic senior season in which he played 14 games and passed for 3,334 yards and 30 touchdowns against only eight interceptions while leading Cincinnati to a College Football Playoff appearance. Like Mariota, Ridder comes with wheels, having rushed for over 2,100 yards and 28 touchdowns during the duration of his stay with the Bearcats.

With the Falcons not expected to contend for a playoff spot, the team could be forced to give Desmond Ridder starting duties to gauge him in a more competitive setting than in the preseason wherein he had an up-and-down experience.