Dave Ragone will take on quarterback coaching responsibilities

The Falcons have been making a series of moves to fill out their coaching staff, as we noted this morning, but there was no announcement regarding the quarterbacks coach position. That position has been vacant since Charles London was hired as the passing game coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, and it’s a critical one with the Falcons either making a big move at the quarterback position or rolling with a young player in Desmond Ridder.

Today, we learned that there will be no official quarterbacks coach, with offensive coordinator Dave Ragone taking over that role. We mentioned him as a potential candidate back in early February, given his background as a quarterbacks coach and former NFL quarterback, and the team confirmed Monday that he’ll add those responsibilities to his plate.

Ragone, per Ashton Edmunds’ article, worked closely with Charles London and the quarterbacks a year ago, which makes sense given his background and his shared time with London in Chicago. Arthur Smith calls plays on Sundays, so while this is obviously going to be a considerable addition in time and energy for Ragone, it doesn’t seem like this will be an impossible lift for a coach who already was hands-on with the team’s quarterbacks.

Ragone got his start as a quarterback from 2003-2005 with the Texans, with some practice squad stints with other players after that. He pivoted to coaching in 2010 and worked his way into a quarterbacks coach role with the Titans in 2013, serving as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with the Bears from 2016-2020. That experience made him valuable to Desmond Ridder, who said in December that he valued Ragone’s advice, and that continuity might be a difference-maker for the second-year pro if he is the starter in 2023.

With that news, this team’s coaching staff is likely close to final for the coming season. We’ll hope that Ragone can coax the best out of Ridder, or whoever the team acquires to start this season.