Raiders add competition at quarterback, signing former Falcons starter

The Raiders have finally added some much needed competition to the quarterback room, signing former third round pick Desmond Ridder.

There’s a new arm in the Raiders quarterback room. It’s Desmond Ridder. The Raiders have signed the former third round pick off the Cardinals practice squad according to ESPN’s Tom Pelissero.

Ridder started 13 games last season for the Falcons, putting up 2836 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completed near 65% of his passes. He went 6-7 in those starts.

The Raiders didn’t just need the competition, they needed a body. It was revealed Monday morning that Aidan O’Connell was headed to injured reserve with a broken thumb, leaving just Gardner Minshew on the roster and undrafted rookie Carter Bradley on the practice squad.

Ridder earned his third round draft status by putting up big numbers at Cincinnati including 87 touchdowns over four seasons there.

With the Falcons addition of Kirk Cousins this offseason, they traded Ridder to the Cardinals. He was released with the final roster cuts and joined the practice squad.