Former Falcons QB Desmond Ridder to be released by Cardinals

The NFL is a brutal business but it doesn’t get much tougher than roster cutdown day. Hundreds of people will lose their jobs as teams trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. The Atlanta Falcons have cut 15 players thus far, but they still have 22 more to go before 4:00 p.m. ET.

We’ve already seen some notable names released around the league. Former Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder has been cut by the Arizona Cardinals, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Atlanta drafted Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati. Despite coming into the league as one of the most productive college quarterbacks in NCAA history, he struggled to find his groove at the professional level.

Ridder, 24, started 17 games for Atlanta over the last two seasons. In 2023, he appeared in 15 games (13 starts), passing for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Falcons decided to go in a different direction in 2024, sending Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for wide receiver Rondale Moore .

Ridder struggled in Arizona during training camp and was underwhelming in the preseason, completing 20 of 35 passes for 225 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Keep up with each Falcons roster move using our 2024 cut tracker HERE!

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