Falcons HC Arthur Smith told reporters the team will stick with QB Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback this week against the Cardinals, per Mike Rothstein.
Atlanta has a bye in Week 11 and Smith added the team will reassess at that point what makes sense, whether it’s sticking with Heinicke or going back to QB Desmond Ridder.
Smith made the decision to bench Ridder this past week with the Falcons at 4-4. However, they lost to the Vikings and dropped to 4-5.
Heinicke, 30, wound up signing on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion back in 2015. He managed to make the 53-man roster during his rookie season but wasn’t active for a single game.
The Vikings elected to waive Heinicke with an injury designation coming out of the preseason in 2017 before eventually cutting him loose with an injury settlement.
Heinicke had brief stints with the Patriots and Texans before being claimed by the Panthers. Carolina released him coming out of the preseason in 2019 and he signed on to Washington’s practice squad late in 2020. He signed a two-year, $8.75 million extension with Washington in 2021 before signing a two-year deal with the Falcons back in March.
In 2023, Heinicke has appeared in two games and completed 33 of 59 pass attempts (55.9 percent) for 443 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
We’ll have more on the Falcons quarterback situation as the news is available.
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