Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith revealed Monday that Desmond Ridder will be taking over as the starting quarterback going forward, with Marcus Mariota expected to be placed on Injured Reserve. Via Ian Rapoport, Mariota is having tests done on his knee and the organization is expecting he will be out for the rest of the season. In turn, Ridder will move up the pecking order and take over as the starting quarterback in Atlanta.

Smith described the quarterback change as a “performance-based” decision. The Falcons also signed ex-Titans quarterback Logan Woodside on Sunday, adding another arm to potentially compete for reps with Ridder. In addition to Woodside and Ridder, the Falcons have ex-Florida Gators QB Feleipe Franks on the depth chart as their fourth-string QB, though he's taken on more of a tight-end role since moving to the NFL.

Ridder was the Falcons' third-round pick, selected 74th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He's yet to take a single snap in Atlanta this season, but that figures to change following the team's bye in Week 14. With Mariota heading to IR as a result of his knee injury, Ridder will finally get the chance to strut his stuff in front of Falcons fans, who will be curious to see what the team's been stashing on the depth chart all season long.

At 5-8, the Falcons are not out of the playoff hunt in the NFC South, largely due to the fact that the division has not one team with a record above .500.

During his senior season at Cincinnati, Desmond Ridder threw for 30 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while completing 64.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,334 yards. On the ground, Ridder scored six touchdowns and rushed for 355 yards.