The Falcons completely reshaped their quarterback room this offseason, with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. replacing Desmond Ridder.
Atlanta signed Cousins to a $180 million free agent deal, finally giving the club a worthwhile signal caller that is expected to finally help their top 10 picks realize their full potential.
The Falcons, with their new head coach Raheem Morris, weren’t satisfied with a 36-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles injury. No, they wanted to solidify the position for the next 15 years, so they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with their top pick.
With the two new faces in the quarterback room, the resident signal callers suddenly became expendable. Taylor Heinicke has stuck around, but Desmond Ridder was traded to the Cardinals in a rare player-for-player deal, with the Falcons acquiring Rondale Moore.
Moore unfortunately went down with a season-ending injury a couple of weeks ago, but Ridder’s new threads aren’t treating him much better. The former third-round pick hasn’t impressed many in Arizona; in fact, Clayton Tune will start the Cardinals’ final preseason contest, with a leg up in the race for QB2 behind Kyler Murray. According to Ian Rapoport, it’s possible the Cards keep all three.
Some preseason QB news: In the battle for No. 2 QB behind starter Kyler Murray, #AZCardinals will start Clayton Tune in the preseason finale vs the #Broncos, with Desmond Ridder to come in after that.
It’s possible, though, that the Cards keep all 3 QBs on the 53-man roster. pic.twitter.com/8oXc3cbzP9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2024
Sure, Ridder could somehow make it as a QB3, but the writing seems to be on the wall in the desert. The Falcons might also keep Taylor Heinicke around as an extra-insurance policy, so it’s possible the Cardinals do the same with Desmond Ridder. Although, no improvements certainly spell bad news for the former Falcons quarterback.
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Photographer: Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire
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