With Aidan O'Connell headed to injured reserve with a broken thumb, the Las Vegas Raiders have brought in a new face to their quarterback room. The Raiders are signing Desmond Ridder off of the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad, per NFL Media.
Ridder will back up Gardner Minshew, who was demoted from starter to backup prior to Week 6, and is now the starter again. Ridder is 8-9 as an NFL starter, and has not taken a snap with the Cardinals. Arizona traded wide receiver Rondale Moore in exchange for Ridder this offseason.
The Cincinnati product was a third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. Ridder was the second quarterback selected that year, behind Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall. Ridder got his opportunity to solidify himself as the Falcons QB1 in 2023, but he went 6-7 as the starter while throwing for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 total games played.
The 2-5 Raiders host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Mahomes has not lost a game since facing Vegas on Christmas Day in 2023.