Report: Cardinals trade WR Rondale Moore to Atlanta Falcons for QB Desmond Ridder

The Arizona Cardinals have made their first trade of the new year in the NFL by trading for former Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Desmond Ridder. Monti Ossenfort made this move by trading wide receiver Rondale Moore to the Falcons. Ridder was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Falcons and has 8-9 record as a quarterback the last two seasons. The news was first reported by Jonathan Jones.

Last season with the Falcons, Ridder went 6-7 as a starter throwing for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Ridder had four game-winning drives last season but was not able to elevate his game to bring the Falcons to the next level. Despite completing over 64% of his throws last season, the Falcons had another mid-season performance and went out and acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins on a four-year deal.

With this move, the Cardinals move off of Rondale Moore who was going into a contract year but has not been productive in three seasons in Arizona. This also opens up the door of opportunity for wide receiver Greg Dortch, who plays hard and has proven that when given a chance, he will capitalize on the opportunity. They are now getting a quarterback who has two years left on his rookie contract and can learn behind Kyler Murray while getting a fresh start away from Atlanta.

Ridder was an intriguing college prospect out of Cincinnati and was drafted by Atlanta to be the hopeful successor to Matt Ryan, but that clearly will not be happening now. However, there should still be a battle for the backup quarterback spot between Ridder and Clayton Tune, who was drafted by the Cardinals last year.

The Cardinals do not give up any draft picks to acquire a potential backup for the next two years, while moving off of an expiring contract next year. This was a good move for Arizona.