Ridder's Struggles Similar to Ones Raiders QBs Have

The Las Vegas Raiders recently added quarterback Desmond Ridder to their roster. However, in his lone season as a starter, he had many of the same negative tendencies as quarterbacks already on the Raiders' roster.

Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) forces a fumble by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) at the goal line in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders, in need of a quarterback, recently signed Desmond Ridder off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Ridder gives the Raiders a quarterback with starting experience, but more specifically, starting experience on a bad football team, which should help the Raiders. However, it is debatable how much help Ridder will provide. 

Las Vegas was wise to sign another quarterback. The move showed the Raiders have enough self-awareness to know that with quarterback Aidan O’Connell being out, they could not afford to let the turnover-prone Gardner Minshew II and rookie Carter Bradley be the only quarterbacks on the roster.

Unfortunately, the Raiders, who have struggled with turnovers dating back to last season, essentially signed a third quarterback like the other two they already have on their roster. In 15 appearances last season, Ridder was tied for the fifth-most interceptions in the National Football League, with 12. He added seven fumbles to finish the season with 19 turnovers, which was also tied for the fifth-most in the league. 

In the 2023-24 season as a starting quarterback, Ridder completed just over 64 percent of his passes, averaging 190 passing yards per game. In his 11 games as a starter last season, Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed just over 62 percent of his passes, averaging nearly 202 yards per game. In his six games with the Raiders, Minshew has completed just over 65 percent of his passes, averaging roughly 195 yards per game.

The move to sign Ridder, while rooted in the right place, is just more of the same for the Raiders. Ridder will not move the needle on the current Raiders season, but he should be enough to get the Raiders through the next few weeks until O'Connell gets back. While he will likely push Minshew for playing time, he will do so because of Minshew's poor play more than because of his abilities. It may take Ridder some time to learn the playbook enough to make an impact on game days.

The Raiders found a quarterback who could have some upside. However, it is not likely. There is a reason the Atlanta Falcons signed a near-40-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles injury and used the eighth overall draft pick in the NFL Draft on a quarterback shortly thereafter. It was largely because of how badly Ridder played for them last season. Ridder played so poorly for the Falcons last season that they did not replace him with one quarterback. They replaced him with two.

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