In trading their former starting quarterback, the Atlanta Falcons also upgraded their receiver room.
A day after signing Kirk Cousins as the team's new starting quarterback, the Falcons sent former starter Desmond Ridder to Arizona to replace receiver Rondale Moore, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday. Ta.
Ridder will get a fresh start in Arizona and could be the backup to Kyler Murray. Arizona already has Clayton Tune on his roster. Last season, Murray started just one game the week before his return.
A third-round pick by Atlanta in 2022, Ridder started 17 career games during the 2022-2023 season, completing 64% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
After being named the full-time starter before the 2023 season, Ridder was benched twice by former head coach Arthur Smith, in part due to his poor decision-making and ball security. He had 12 fumbles and 12 interceptions last season. . After the season, team owner Arthur Blank called the team's quarterback play “flawed” and announced that the team would be looking for a new starting quarterback, but Cousins ultimately became a candidate. became.
The Falcons currently have Cousins and Taylor Heinicke on their roster as the team's quarterbacks.
In trading for Moore, Atlanta is adding to a remade wide receiver room. Outside of Drake Rondon, the Falcons had little experience in the receiver room. Atlanta then signed Darnell Mooney, re-signed KhaDarrell Hodge and traded for Moore, who had 135 catches for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons with the Cardinals.
Moore was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, but he never found the right fit in Arizona under two different coaching staffs. Moore was utilized at times for his sideline-to-sideline speed and returns, but was not used much in the vertical game.
Moore also has 52 career carries for 249 yards and one touchdown, giving the team a versatile option as it has for the past three seasons with free agent Cordarrelle Patterson.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss contributed to this report.