Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke signed as a free agent prior to the 2023 season knowing his role was to be the backup to Desmond Ridder.

Heinicke ended up starting four games for the Falcons as Ridder struggled as a first-year starting quarterback in the NFL. The Falcons re-worked Heinicke’s deal in the spring, as Heinicke agreed to take a pay cut, rather than be cut outright.

His role seemed relatively clear again after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a $100-million guaranteed contract in March – backup.

However with the Falcons adding Michael Penix Jr. to the fold in the draft with the No. 8 overall pick, Heinicke should be relegated to third string. While the Falcons won’t come out and say it, no one wants Heinicke taking reps away from a prized, developmental rookie like Penix.

Heinicke is a professional who will do anything he can to help the Falcons, but he is also a trade piece for a team looking for a backup, emergency starter.

Bleacher Report (B/R) went through a series of players who have been linked to trades, including Heinicke, and gauged their value and where they might fit.

“A Day 3 draft pick would probably get a deal done right now, as moving Heinicke would also save Atlanta $1.2 million in cap space,” wrote Kristopher Knox on B/R. “The Cleveland Browns flipped Joshua Dobbs and a seventh-round pick for a fifth-round pick last offseason.”

Despite his struggles last season under Smith, Heinicke has a much better resume than Dobbs. Going into last season, Dobbs had started just two games, both in 2022 for the Tennessee Titans.

Heinicke was 12-12 in a five-year NFL career before joining the Falcons as a free agent and still has a positive touchdown to interception ratio at 39 to 28. A fifth-round pick without the return of the seventh that Arizona got when they dealt Dobbs got makes sense.

“While his availability is high, Heinicke ranks low on our list because his trade value will remain low until/unless another team loses its starter to injury—or fails to find one during training camp,” Knox continued. “The New York Giants could look for added insurance as Daniel Jones recovers from a torn ACL—that’s where the Cardinals were with Kyler Murray when they traded for Dobbs. The Las Vegas Raiders could have interest in Heinicke if they aren’t thrilled with how the competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew is unfolding.”

Heinicke is a cheap, quality backup by NFL standards. But at $4.5 million, he’s a bit expensive by third-string standards. Would the Falcons be better off moving him, pocketing and extra $1 million in cap savings and picking up a 2025 Day 3 draft pick?

Probably.

The 31-year-old Heinicke should want an opportunity to play in 2024. If Cousins goes down at some point during the season, the calls are going to be for the 24-year old rookie.