The Denver Broncos have extended an invite to veteran quarterback Desmond Ridder. Ridder will bring valuable experience to the quarterback room. Ridder is a former third round pick of the Atlanta Falcons.
He has also played with the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. He last played for the Raiders as he threw for 458 yards and two touchdowns. His teammates love playing with him as former teammate Tre Tucker stated in an ESPN article on October 26, 2024 by Paul Gutierrez.
“[He’s] a guy who set all types of records in college, the best quarterback to come through there in Cincy, and all the things that we did there and to get drafted and to kind of go through his whole situation, I felt for him,” Tucker said. “He’s lengthy but athletic and can move and run. I think that’s one of his best skill sets and, obviously, a good touch on the ball. Good accuracy and all that stuff.”
Ridder breaks record at University of Cincinnati
Ridder holds many well-known accolades as he was one of the school’s most lethal quarterbacks in the school history. Ridder threw for a school-record 87 touchdown passes during his career. He also has another record as he accumulated 113 total touchdowns, which is another school record.
Ridder was able to win many awards as a Bearcat as he was named the 2020 and 2021 AAC Offensive Player of the Year. He also received the 2018 AAC Rookie of the Year award. The most impressive stat in Ridder’s college career is what he was able to achieve at home. Ridder led the Bearcats to a perfect 26-0 record at Nippert Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Ridder NFL Career
Ridder hasn’t had much success in the NFL as a quarterback. He has started 17 games in his career most of them with the Falcons. His best season was in 2023 when he threw for 2,836 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was later benched for his inability to avoid turnovers and some questionable decision-making throughout that season.
The Falcons moved on from Ridder after trading him to the Arizona Cardinals for Ronald Moore. Atlanta decided to move on after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal. Ridder was again inconsistent and it led to his release from the Cardinals.
Ridder could be a good veteran to have in the locker room because of his experience as a quarterback and his accomplishments as a collegiate player. It could be the right mix of a veteran and a second-year starting quarterback in Bo Nix.
Desmond will need to eliminate his turnovers and become a better processor as he looks to earn another NFL job. Working with offensive genius head coach Sean Payton could also be another benefit for Desmond. It’s an important camp for Ridder as it may be his last time attempting to make an NFL roster. Rookie mini-camp should be interesting to watch as it will be first time fans and the media get to see the rookies and Ridder in a Denver Broncos uniform.
