NFL Draft

Falcons Trade QB Desmond Ridder to Cardinals for WR Rondale Moore

Two NFC teams are swapping offensive players as free agency rolls on.

Luke Easterling

Falcons Trade QB Desmond Ridder to Cardinals for WR Rondale Moore
Falcons Trade QB Desmond Ridder to Cardinals for WR Rondale Moore /

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals in return for wide receiver Rondale Moore, per multiple reports.

A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati, Ridder was unable to solidify himself as the Falcons' starting quarterback over the past two seasons, leading Atlanta to spend big in free agency this offseason on veteran Kirk Cousins. 

Ridder now heads to Arizona, where he'll provide the Cards with depth behind starter Kyler Murray.

A former second-round pick out of Purdue, Moore is an undersized put explosive playmaker who has flashed potential at times, but has yet to consistently live up to his draft slot. He'll join a loaded offense in Atlanta that features a ton of other weapons on offense, which could limit his touches but also give him more room to operate while opposing defenses pay more attention to bigger names.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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