3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 4

The 2023 NFL season entered its fourth week. While it is still early on in the year, NFL fans get a hint of seeing if their favorite team is a legitimate contender or if they should start preparing for next season (i.e. rebuild). Regardless (depending on how the team is playing), fans will be watching and evaluating each player on the roster to see how well they are.

Perhaps the most followed position in the NFL is at quarterback. After all, the quarterback holds the keys to the offense, and if they don't play well, the rest of the team's job becomes more difficult. In Week 4, there were instances of teams that lost due to the play of their quarterback.

Here are three quarterbacks who played like they should be benched next week.

3 quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 4, No. 3: Desmond Ridder, Falcons

Let's start things off with a quarterback who played in the early morning game on Sunday and that's Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons. The team used a third-round pick on Ridder in last year's NFL Draft after he shined with the Cincinnati Bearcats in college. Ridder entered his rookie season with tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London at his disposal. Earlier this year, the Falcons used their first-round pick on Texas running back Bijan Robinson. All of the tools were there for Ridder to bring the offense to the next level, like many had expected.

That hasn't happened yet, and it was evident on Sunday morning against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Falcons lost 23-7, bringing their record down to 2-2. Ridder didn't have a great game, completing 19-of-31 pass attempts for 191 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. One of his picks was directly in the hands of Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams, who returned it for a touchdown.

On the year, Ridder has thrown for 744 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 62.2 percent of his passes.

Given that first place in the NFC South is still within reach, how long until head coach Arthur Smith looks to make a change at the quarterback position? After all, they have Taylor Heinicke, who won games for the Washington Commanders through his three years with the team (2020-22).