It’s been a busy Thursday for the Atlanta Falcons. A slew of new signings have recently become official, and now there looks to be a significant trade on the horizon. Zach Klein was on it first, reporting Desmond Ridder is close to being traded, which was confirmed by Jonathan Jones, who is reporting he is headed to the Arizona Cardinals.
NFL league sources tell me Atlanta Falcons on verge of trading quarterback Desmond Ridder –
Wish Ridder the best.. handled everything with class and hope he finds success with this fresh start
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) March 14, 2024
The Falcons are working on a trade that will send QB Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals, source says. Ridder, who went 8-9 across two years as a starter, would backup Kyler Murray as the Falcons move forward with Kirk Cousins
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 14, 2024
Ian Rapoport then added that Desmond Ridder is going to Arizona for wide receiver Rondale Moore.
Sources: Rondale Moore is going to the #Falcons in exchange for Desmond Ridder.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2024
At first, I was a little surprised by this move only because Desmond Ridder is, at the very least, capable of being a serviceable backup quarterback in this league. He might not be a starting quarterback, but he can be ready at a moment’s notice and lead a team to a win here and there, which he proved this past season. Plus, he’s dirt cheap, but the return for Ridder has it making a lot more sense.
Even after signing Darnell Mooney, the Falcons wide receiving corps needed more depth. Rondale Moore provides that. He hasn’t quite lived up to his second-round pick status with the Cardinals, but he’s only 23-years-old and will be walking into a much better situation with the Falcons. Last season, Moore caught 40 passes for 352 yards. He also added 178 yards on 28 rush attempts. At the very least, he gives the Falcons valuable depth at the position as a legitimate WR3 option behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney. The Falcons wide receiver corps is now in an infinitely better position than it was just a few days ago.
What happens next in regards to QB2 now becomes especially intriguing. Taylor Heinicke looked like an easy cut candidate yesterday to save some cash that could be spent on other free agents, but now that’s not so clear. The Falcons could view him as a high quality backup quarterback that they might need, considering Kirk Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles. Or the Falcons may operate like a backup quarterback doesn’t matter much at all, cutting ties with Heinicke anyways.
I would imagine it is the former because Cousins is coming off such a significant injury, but the reality is if Cousins doesn’t play, the Falcons don’t have much of a chance to win anything, as we saw last year.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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