The Falcons are trading Ridder to Arizona in exchange for wide receiver Rondale Moore, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Ridder gets a chance to start fresh after Atlanta opted to ink Kirk Cousins (Achilles) to a massive four-year contract, and he becomes the favorite to back up Kyler Murray for the Cardinals. The team also has 2023 fifth-round pick Clayton Tune available, and further competition could be added this offseason, but Ridder boasts enough experience to step up in emergency circumstances. Across 15 appearances last season, he completed 249 of 388 passes for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Sliding into backup role
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Ridder figures to be relegated to a backup role with the Falcons set to sign Kirk Cousins, per the team's official website.
The 2022 third-round pick has won eight of his 17 NFL starts while throwing 14 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He's completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 7.0 YPA, but with a higher-than-average sack rate (7.4 percent) and nine lost fumbles. Overall, Ridder has the same number of turnovers (19) as combined passing and rushing TDs in the NFL. The Falcons likely will release Taylor Heinicke after their agreement with Cousins becomes official.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Loses grip on starting gig
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Ridder will be replaced by Taylor Heinicke as Atlanta's starting quarterback Sunday versus the Colts, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Ridder is being benched for the second time this season, a move which Kendall reports could signal the end of his starting tenure for the Falcons. The switch comes following an unimpressive performance by Ridder in poor weather conditions, when he completed 12 of 20 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Atlanta's narrow 9-7 loss to the Panthers in Week 15. Perhaps more crucially, Ridder set up Carolina's final game-winning drive with a crucial red zone interception. The second-year signal-caller will presumably operate as Heinicke's backup Sunday versus Indianapolis.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Underwhelming in Week 15 loss
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Ridder completed 12 of 20 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception and netted minus-2 yards on five rush attempts in the Falcons' 9-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. He also committed a fumble recovered by Atlanta.
A week after throwing for a career-high 347 yards against the Buccaneers, Ridder's production took a steep drop on a rainy afternoon in Carolina. The second-year signal-caller finished well under the 200-yard mark for the third time in four games since returning to the top of the depth chart, and the only highlight of his day was a two-yard touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson in the latter portion of the second quarter. Ridder's hold on the starting job could be somewhat shaky once again following Sunday's performance, and if he remains under center, he'll face an aggressive Colts defense in a Week 16 home matchup.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Career-high yardage tally in loss
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Ridder completed 26 of 40 passes for 347 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Falcons' 29-25 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also rushed four times for 15 yards and another score, committed two fumbles and lost one, and threw a two-point conversion pass.
Ridder had about as eventful a day as his final line implies, compiling a career-high yardage tally while also accounting for multiple touchdowns for the fourth time this season. Ridder and Drake London were the most lethal quarterback-receiver duo on the field by far Sunday, with the second-year wideout accounting for 10 of Ridder's completions and 172 of his yards. Ridder also connected with London for his late two-point conversion pass, and he came about four yards short of successfully orchestrating a game-winning Hail Mary with London as time expired. Ridder had failed to eclipse 168 passing yards in either of his first two starts since his demotion, but Sunday's breakout affords him plenty of momentum going into a Week 15 road battle against the Panthers.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Mistake-prone in return
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Ridder completed 13 of 21 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and added 30 rushing yards on seven carries in the Falcons' 24-15 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Ridder's return to the starting job was far from crisp, with the second-year signal-caller posting his third multi-interception tally of the campaign. However, Ridder was able to leverage his ground game, defense and a depleted Saints offense to help lead the Falcons to a much-needed win while failing to reach the 200-yard mark for the third time in a full game this season. Ridder showed very good rapport with top target Drake London and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson, but otherwise, the remaining Atlanta players that caught a pass combined for just five receptions and 45 yards. Ridder will aim to contribute much more through the air in a tough matchup against a stingy Jets secondary in a Week 13 road clash.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Confirmed as starter
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Head coach Arthur Smith confirmed Monday that Ridder will reclaim starting quarterback duties Sunday against the Saints, and the Falcons plan to stick with the second-year signal-caller as their starter for the rest of the season, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Smith's announcement doesn't come as a major surprise, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported over the weekend that Ridder was set to move back into the starting role after he had been benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke (hamstring) for the two games leading up to Atlanta's Week 11 bye. Though Heinicke isn't expected to practice this week while he continues to recover from a hamstring strain he sustained Week 10, he lost both of his games as starter and completed just 54.7 percent of his throws for 6.1 yards per attempt in those outings. As such, Heinicke's injury doesn't appear to be the only reason that the Falcons are turning the starting job back over to Ridder, who has fared better from an efficiency standpoint than Heinicke over nine appearances (65.4 percent completion rate, 7.1 YPA) and presents a slight upgrade as a rushing threat (150 yards, four touchdowns on 32 carries). Turnovers (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) have been the main bugaboo for Ridder, but Smith is hopeful that the time on the bench in addition to the confidence the quarterback displayed upon replacing Heinicke late in the Week 10 game will serve as a springboard for Ridder to show improvement coming out of the bye week.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Benched for Week 9
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Head coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Ridder has been medically cleared but will serve as the top backup to Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game versus the Vikings, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Smith noted that the decision to start Heinicke over Ridder for Week 9 was made with the short-term in mind. Ridder was forced out of last week's loss to the Titans in the first half and evaluated for a concussion, and even after he was medically cleared to return, the Falcons stuck with Heinicke at quarterback to finish out the contest. Smith is seemingly still taking a cautious approach to Ridder's health, though the Falcons will allow him to suit up Sunday in a backup capacity. Even if the starting decision was made solely with Sunday's game against Minnesota in mind, if Heinicke is able to show well, he could end up sticking as the team's No. 1 signal-caller going forward. Through eight games, Ridder has turned the ball over 12 times (six interceptions, six lost fumbles) and compiled just nine touchdowns (six passing, three rushing).
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Pulled as precaution
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Ridder completed eight of 12 passes for 71 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Titans. He added three rushes for 26 yards.
Ridder didn't appear in the second half of the loss, though after the game, coach Arthur Smith disclosed that his quarterback had been checked for a concussion. Despite being cleared to return, Smith, opted to play it safe, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. That means Ridder is likely to return to his starting role in Week 9 against the Vikings. As for his performance, Ridder was inefficient even in a positive matchup and also lost his sixth fumble in his last six contests.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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I would expect Atlanta to pass a bunch this week, though it'll be tough navigating for Ridder because the Bucs will blitz him a lot. It would not surprise me if he had another high-yardage, high-turnover game -- the touchdown production is what makes me nervous. I would err on the side of caution with Ridder and sit him for Matthew Stafford, Jordan Love and Sam Howell.
Head coach Arthur Smith said Monday that Ridder is still Atlanta's starting quarterback, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Ridder has made just eight starts as a professional, but Sunday's 23-7 loss was by far his worst performance. He committed a career-high three turnovers, including a pick-six late in the second quarter that put Atlanta in a hole it couldn't climb out of. Smith has been adamant about playing smart football, which Ridder didn't do versus Jacksonville, but it appears the 2022 third-round pick will get an opportunity to work through his mistakes. However, Taylor Heinicke is the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL, so if Ridder continues to struggle, don't be surprised if Smith gives the veteran a chance at some point.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Three turnovers in Week 4 loss
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Ridder completed 19 of 31 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and one lost fumble in Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Jaguars.
He also added six rushing yards on one carry. Ridder put on another lackluster performance, punctuated by a 61-yard pick-six thrown to Jacksonville's Darious Williams late in the second quarter, but the second-year quarterback did mange to hit Drake London for a 15-yard score on Atlanta's first possession of the second half. Ridder also got sacked four times, the third time in four games he's been brought down at least that many times. Ridder and the Falcons' offense will try to turn things around in Week 5 at home against the Texans.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Attempts 38 passes in loss
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Ridder completed 21 of 38 passes for 201 yards during Sunday's 20-6 loss versus Detroit. He also rushed twice for three yards and lost a fumble.
Ridder attempted a career-high 38 passes, and it was actually the most pass attempts by a Falcons quarterback since Arthur Smith took the head coaching reins. However, Ridder failed to produce much with the increased chances. He also saw a major regression in his running production, which is concerning. It seemed Atlanta made a concerted effort to call designed run plays for Ridder in Week 2, but that wasn't part of the plan in Week 3. Ridder doesn't need to be rostered in most standard leagues, but there have been some encouraging moments through three weeks.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Overcomes early adversity
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Ridder completed 19 of 32 passes for 237 yards, a touchdown and an interception during Sunday's 25-24 win over the Packers. He also rushed 10 times for 39 yards and an additional score.
Ridder wasn't sharp early. He threw an interception on his second pass of the game and had two more throws go through the hands of defenders. However, the quarterback also had a touchdown called back after review, so the what-ifs could go both ways. In the end, Ridder did what he needed to do to help Atlanta pull off the victory. Fantasy managers should be enthused with Ridder's production on the ground, but it's also encouraging that he threw the ball 32 times after just 18 pass attempts in Week 1. The Falcons' offense was still run-heavy (45 rushes to 32 passes), but Ridder will remain a viable fantasy option if he frequently replicates the role he filled against Green Bay.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Efficient during Week 1 win
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Ridder completed 15 of 18 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 24-10 win over the Panthers.
Ridder was efficient during his first action of 2023, but he wasn't asked to do much. Regardless, the 2022 third-round pick posted a 111.8 quarterback rating as the Falcons cruised to victory against a division rival. With a stout running game and plenty of talented playmakers around him, Ridder needs to continue to be efficient while limiting turnovers. If he does that, Atlanta has a great chance to pull out victories on a weekly basis. While that's good for the Falcons, it doesn't bode well for Ridder's fantasy profile moving forward.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Not expected to play Thursday night
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Ridder is not expected to play in the Falcons' preseason finale against the Steelers Thursday night, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
The Falcons are not expected to play any of their starters in the final exhibition ahead of Week 1, and instead Logan Woodside is likely to see plenty of reps against Pittsburgh in an effort to convince the coaching staff to keep him around as the QB3 behind Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. In total this preseason, Ridder played 17 offensive snaps, completing seven of nine pass attempts for 80 scoreless yards and a red-zone interception.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Has Blank's confidence
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Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday that he feels "pretty strongly" that Ridder is "going to be our quarterback of the future," Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Head coach Arthur Smith named Ridder as the team's starting quarterback in late March, two weeks after the team signed Taylor Heinicke to a two-year, $14 million contract. The second-year pro seems to be making a good impression in training camp, but there's still a lot that can go wrong with a relatively unproven young quarterback who has one of the better backups in the league behind him. Even if his standing atop the depth chart is truly secure this summer, Ridder won't be long for the starting job come September if he doesn't play well. Ridden has several things working in his favor, including ample collegiate experience as a starter, an Atlanta offensive line that improved greatly last season and a supporting cast of skill-position players that includes top-10 picks from each of the last three NFL Drafts (tight end Kyle Pitts, wideout Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson). It doesn't hurt to have the support of the team owner either, though Blank is 80 years old and seemingly not quite as involved with the team's day-to-day operations as he once was.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Named starting quarterback
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Head coach Arthur Smith announced Tuesday that Ridder will be the Falcons' starting quarterback to begin the 2023 campaign, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
After the acquisition of Taylor Heinicke earlier this month, Rothstein reported that Ridder was still expected to retain the starting gig, and Smith finally confirmed as much. Smith's comments also suggest that the Falcons aren't targeting a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Ridder took over for a struggling Marcus Mariota and started the final four games of the 2022 campaign, completing 63.5 percent of his pass attempts for 708 yards and two touchdowns while carrying 16 times for 64 yards. Ridder didn't throw an interception in any of those contests but lost fumbles in Week 17 and 18 wins over the Cardinals and Buccaneers, respectively.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Still viewed as Falcons' starter
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Despite the Falcons' reported signing of Taylor Heinicke, Ridder is still expected to enter training camp as the starting quarterback, ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports.
It's become evident that Atlanta wants to see what it has in Ridder, the No. 74 overall pick in last year's NFL Draft. He made four starts to close out his rookie season but wasn't all that impressive, completing 63.5 percent of his throws for 177 yards per game with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Heinicke could give Ridder a run at the top job in camp, but the former Commander has already demonstrated he isn't a 17-game starter in the NFL.
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Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Leads team to Week 18 win
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Ridder completed 19 of 30 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's 30-17 win over Tampa Bay. He also rushed twice for nine yards.
Ridder wasn't overly prolific or efficient, but he avoided turnovers and made plays when he needed to. He had a strong connection with Drake London, who finished with a career-high 120 receiving yards, but Ridder's touchdown passes went to Olamide Zaccheaus and MyCole Pruitt. It was Atlanta's second win with Ridder under center, and the two-game win streak to end the campaign is certainly an encouraging finish to build off of going into the offseason. However, the Falcons are likely still going to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, leaving Ridder's future unclear.
