Desmond Ridder getting cut by Cardinals makes trade with Falcons a huge lose-lose

After the Atlanta Falcons drafted Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, many believed this was a steal. Some thought he was the top prospect in this class. As his two years in Atlanta proved, Ridder is by no means an NFL starter.

Still, Ridder flashes enough positive traits to suggest he could be a quality backup quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals seemed to agree with that assessment, sending struggling wide receiver Rondale Moore to the Falcons for Ridder in a rare one-for-one player swap between teams.

The Falcons didn't get anything out of Moore, as he suffered a devastating knee injury that ended his 2024 season before it even began. Ridder, meanwhile, proved to not even be an upgrade over second-year backup Clayton Tune. Arizona had seen enough of him.

The Cardinals parted ways with Ridder after he failed to beat out Tune for the backup job in the preseason. The Cardinals got a third-string quarterback who won't see any snaps for them, and the Falcons got a receiver who blew out his knee as soon as he touched down. Talk about a lose-lose trade.

Cardinals-Falcons trade ultimate lose-lose deal after Desmond Ridder gets cut

Ridder went 8-9 in 17 starts with the Falcons. In those games, he mustered 3,544 passing yards and just 14 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions. While he ran for five scores and pulled off a few comeback wins last season, that wasn't enough to save his job in Arizona.

In the preseason, Ridder went 20-35 (57% completion) for 225 yards with no touchdown passes. Tune completed 67% of his passes, had more yards, and tossed a touchdown. The accuracy issues that plagued him in Atlanta have translated to Arizona, and the Cardinals didn't feel confident in him replacing Kyler Murray if an injury should arise.

Moore still has some good football left in the tank, but the Falcons need to be concerned about a smaller player who relies on speed suffering a serious lower body injury like this. If they make another big acquisition out wide, Moore could end up buried on the depth chart when he gets back.

Ridder certainly had the physical tools needed to be a productive quarterback, and there were moments where he looked like a playmaker. However, the lack of consistency proved to be his downfall, as Arizona was not willing to take a ride on this roller coaster.