Ridder will remain the Raiders' backup quarterback in Sunday's game against the Dolphins after head coach Antonio Pierce announced Wednesday that Gardner Minshew will retain starting duties, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports. Though Minshew was pulled early for performance-related reasons for the third time in seven starts in the Raiders' Week 9 loss to the Bengals, Pierce said coming out of a Week 10 bye that Minshew gives the team the best chance to win. Ridder came on in relief of Minshew versus Cincinnati and wasn't overly impressive, as he completed 11 of 16 passes for 74 yards (4.6 YPA) and a touchdown, but he also lost a fumble. While Minshew will keep the job for now, he remains a weekly candidate to be benched if he struggles to move the offense, so it may not be long before Ridder gets another opportunity.
Unlock the latest Las Vegas Raiders news — direct to your inbox.
Status
ACTIVELatest Desmond Ridder news
Career History
-
ATT 18.7CMP 12.5PASS YDS 133.2TD 0.8LNG 30.3CMP% 67.0SACK 1.4SYL 10.4INT 0.5RUSH YDS 5.8CBSS fantasy points 9.7ESPN fantasy points 8.1Yahoo fantasy points 8.6
Pregame Probabilities
Expected to pass >300 YDS7%Passing Touchdowns 3+5% -
Full season projectionsATT 358.0CMP 227.0PASS YDS 2,545.0TD 10.0LNG 56.0CMP% 63.4SACK 31.0SYL 197.0INT 11.0
Ridder will remain the Raiders' backup quarterback in Sunday's game against the Dolphins after head coach Antonio Pierce announced Wednesday that Gardner Minshew will retain starting duties, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports. Though Minshew was pulled early for performance-related reasons for the third time in seven starts in the Raiders' Week 9 loss to the Bengals, Pierce said coming out of a Week 10 bye that Minshew gives the team the best chance to win. Ridder came on in relief of Minshew versus Cincinnati and wasn't overly impressive, as he completed 11 of 16 passes for 74 yards (4.6 YPA) and a touchdown, but he also lost a fumble. While Minshew will keep the job for now, he remains a weekly candidate to be benched if he struggles to move the offense, so it may not be long before Ridder gets another opportunity.
Ridder took over for an ineffective Gardner Minshew with 5:02 remaining in the third quarter of Sunday's 41-24 loss to the Bengals and completed 11 of 16 passes for 74 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions while rushing once for two yards and losing a fumble. A rusty Ridder, who'd last put up a regular-season attempt in Week 18 of the 2023 campaign with the Falcons, mostly stuck to short passes and took four sacks overall. However, Ridder also managed to lead a six-play, 70-yard touchdown march late in the fourth quarter that he capped with a 22-yard touchdown strike to Brock Bowers. Considering the Raiders are now 2-7 and have a Week 10 bye on tap, head coach Antonio Pierce may opt to give Ridder a chance to take over the starting job during a Week 11 road trip to Miami.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said Friday that Ridder will work as the backup to Gardner Minshew during Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Ridder was inked by Las Vegas off Arizona's practice squad Monday, so it's unlikely that he's fully acclimated to his new team's playbook quite yet. With Aidan O'Connell (thumb) on IR and out at least four games, Ridder looks primed to hold onto the backup role behind Minshew for at least the next month. In the event that Minshew's struggles under center continue, Ridder may even have an opportunity to compete for more significant reps at quarterback.
Ridder was signed by the Raiders off of Arizona's practice squad Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Ridder has yet to appear in a game this season while spending the entirety of the year to this point with the Cardinals' practice unit. The quarterback will now be on the Raiders' active roster for at least three games, presumably serving as the top backup option behind Gardner Minshew while Aidan O'Connell (thumb) is unavailable. Ridder appeared in 15 games with the Falcons in 2023, producing 2,836 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also adding 193 yards and five scores on the ground.
The Cardinals signed Ridder to their practice squad Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 2022 third-round pick out of Cincinnati failed to make the Cardinals' initial 53-man roster, but he's now been brought back to the team's practice squad. Ridder threw for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and just as many interceptions across his 15 regular-season contests with the Falcons last year. He's now expected to serve as Arizona's No. 3 quarterback option in 2024.
The Cardinals are slated to waive Ridder on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.. Ridder, who Arizona acquired in via a trade with the Falcons back in March, ultimately couldn't beat out Clayton Tune for the top backup spot behind Kyler Murray during training camp. The 2022 second-round pick boasts ample NFL experience, though in that time he demonstrated a lack of a true ceiling, so the Cardinals could still target him for a practice squad spot if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
Ridder cleared the league's concussion protocols Monday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Ridder suffered a concussion during Sunday's preseason loss to the Broncos, so his time in protocols was short-lived. The Cincinnati product is slated to be the Cardinals' backup quarterback this season, and with his quick return to full health should hold that position Week 1 behind Kyler Murray.
Ridder is in concussion protocol following Sunday's 38-12 preseason loss to the Broncos, per head coach Jonathan Gannon, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports. Ridder went to the locker room in the second half to be evaluated for a head injury, and the testing revealed a concussion. Prior to exiting the game, Ridder completed 10 of 16 passes for 111 yards and rushed twice for 25 yards. If Ridder is unable to pass the NFL's five-step concussion protocol prior to the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Bills, Clayton Tune would back up Kyler Murray.
Ridder looks set to start Saturday's exhibition opener against the Saints, and potentially Arizona's following two preseason contests, after coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday that Kyler Murray will not play until Week 1, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Ridder, who was dealt to the Cardinals back in March, appears primed for a busy preseason along with No. 3 quarterback Clayton Tune. After appearing in 19 regular-season games for the Falcons over the last two years, Ridder brings substantial NFL experience to the table as Murray's top backup, he won't see much of the field this season if all goes well for Arizona.