The Minnesota Vikings signed former Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Desmond Ridder to their 53-man roster Tuesday following the ankle injury to starter J.J. McCarthy, NFL Network reports.
A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ridder played two seasons with the Falcons and was their primary starter for the 2023 season. He played as a backup and fill-in starter for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
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Ridder spent training camp with the Bengals and played with them in the preseason, but Cincinnati looked elsewhere to address its own quarterback concerns. With Joe Burrow sidelined with a long-term toe injury, the Bengals reportedly signed quarterbacks Mike White and Sean Clifford to their practice squad earlier Tuesday.
McCarthy sustained a high-ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, his second game as an NFL starter. The 2024 first-round pick is out for Week 3 against the Bengals and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Desmond Ridder spent training camp with the Bengals but is now a backup Vikings quarterback.
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
Backup Carson Wentz is slated to step in as the starter in Minnesota. A former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Wentz has started with the Eagles, Colts and Commanders in his nine-year NFL career. He’s since been relegated to backup duties with the Rams, Chiefs and now the Vikings.
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But Wentz will again have a chance to prove his mettle for a Vikings team with considerable talent around him, most notably All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer is listed third on the Vikings depth chart behind McCarthy and Wentz.
In Ridder, the Vikings add another quarterback with NFL starting experience. Ridder has 18 NFL starts in three seasons, including 13 for the Falcons in 2023. Ridder was handed the starting reins that season after taking over for benched starter Marcus Mariota late in his rookie season.
The Falcons went 6-7 in Ridder’s 2023 starts as Ridder completed 64.2% of his passes for 6.5 yards per attempt and 189.1 yards per game with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Falcons traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals the following offseason after signing Kirk Cousins as a free agent.
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Ridder didn’t make Arizona’s 53-man roster after training camp. He later signed with the Raiders after an injury to then-starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
The Vikings made another backfield transaction on Tuesday with the reported signing of free-agent running back Cam Akers. Akers will add depth at the position with starter Aaron Jones expected to miss Week 3 due to a hamstring injury.