Raiders Bench Gardner Minshew for ex-Falcons QB Desmond Ridder

The Las Vegas Raiders are turning to a former Atlanta Falcons quarterback for a spark.

Trailing by 21 in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the Raiders replaced veteran signal caller Gardner Minshew with ex-Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Ridder was in only his second game with the Raiders. Las Vegas signed him to the active roster of the Arizona Cardinals practice squad on October 21.

The #Raiders have benched Minshew for Desmond Ridder.

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) November 3, 2024

During his first series with the Raiders, Ridder went 1 for 3 with 1 passing yard.

Ridder has been in a whirlwind in the NFL since the Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. Just days after that, the Falcons traded Ridder to the Cardinals.

He did not make Arizona’s 53-man roster after the preseason. But after the Cardinals released him on roster cut day, Ridder signed to Arizona’s practice squad.

Ridder was on the Cardinals’ practice squad until the Raiders signed him to their active roster in mid-October.

Entering the game on November 3, Ridder made his first regular season appearance in the NFL since Week 18 of last season. Starting for the Falcons in that game, Knight went 22 of 30 with 291 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. But he also had an interception and lost a fumble in a 48-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It will be interesting to see if the move to Ridder is permanent for the Raiders. Las Vegas has shuffled Minshew and Aidan O’Connell behind center during the first half of the season. Unless Ridder leads an incredible comeback on Sunday afternoon, the Raiders will fall to 2-7 with a loss to the Bengals.

In eight games, including seven starts, Minshew has thrown just six touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

The Falcons drafted Knight at No. 74 overall in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. In two seasons with the Falcons, Ridder completed 64% of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He averaged 7 yards per pass attempt and recorded 5 game-winning drives along with 3 fourth-quarter comebacks in 19 games.