Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the Saints

Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the New Orleans Saints: ‘There was a lot of interest in him’

The New Orleans Saints agreed on a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire John Ridgeway III, getting some help at defensive tackle with Khalen Saunders on the mend. On Wednesday, Commanders general manager Adam Peters shared his reaction to the move.

“There was a lot of interest in him,” Peters told ESPN’s John Keim. “Good opportunity for him to go somewhere and play more probably than here and a scheme that fits him a little more.”

Peters added that he thought Ridgeway had put together “some of his best tape” in the Commanders’ final preseason game with the New England Patriots. Ridgeway was their highest-graded defender in that matchup at Pro Football Focus, with an 87.0 overall player rating and three tackles (all solo defensive stops), plus a quarterback pressure. Not bad for a big nose guard.

Ridgeway has been an effective run-stopper for Washington the last two years, having played college football at  Arkansas before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (who waived him during his rookie year). But the Commanders have made a lot of other investments in the trenches and they viewed this as an opportunity to get something back for a player it had cost them nothing to pick up. All it cost the Saints was next year’s sixth-round draft pick, but they’re getting back a seventh rounder, so really it’s nothing more than a pick swap.

Here’s the state of the Saints at defensive tackle once this trade becomes official:

  • On the 53-man roster: Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders (injured), Khristian Boyd, John Ridgeway III
  • On the practice squad: Kendal Vickers

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Saints swap draft picks in trade for Washington DT John Ridgeway III

The New Orleans Saints have traded for Washington Commanders DT John Ridgeway III, improving their depth after an injury to Khalen Saunders:

The New Orleans Saints recently were tasked with managing a calf injury to Khalen Saunders, and figuring out who may replace him for the few weeks he may be out. With that, they decided to add another piece to the mix in a trade with the Washington Commanders for defensive tackle John Ridgeway III, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Adam Schefter reports for ESPN that the compensation will be a pick swap. The Saints’ 2025 sixth-round pick is going to the Commanders, in return for Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Ultimately, the pickup is a solid one, as Ridgeway ended up playing 31% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps his first two seasons (280 and 356 snaps per year) as well as 18% and 21% of their special teams snaps. He has immense size at the position as well, coming in at 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds, with 33 3/8″ arms.

Ridgeway was a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, before being waived and catching on with the Commanders instead. He has started six games for them and played in 32 matchups, primarily being utilized in run-blocking packages. Pro Football Focus credited him with 29 run stops and a dozen quarterbacks pressures through his first two years.

We will see if he ends up getting much run time in the coming weeks, as Bryan Bresee, Khristian Boyd, and Nathan Shepherd all also look for additional snaps as well. The depth chart will change but at the moment the Saints also have Kendal Vickers on the 53-man roster.

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