In the end, for all the draft intrigue and early spring trade rumors, the Falcons quarterback situation was the same in 2021 as it has been since 2008. Matt Ryan was the starter and the team doesn’t have a long-term, obvious backup, and certainly not a successor.
The season also went much the way 2019-2020 went, where Ryan was far from this passing game’s biggest and most glaring issue, but also was not able to pull off any miracles en route to a losing season. The spirited and typically unkind debates about Ryan’s fortunes are not going anywhere—they wouldn’t if he bombed out completely or was the best quarterback in football, frankly—but the new front office and coaching staff got a good look at him.