There have been so many moves in the NFL offseason already that it is easy to lose track of some of the less heralded moves. One of the more fascinating and lowkey moves took place Thursday with a trade. The Atlanta Falcons traded Desmond Ridder, their starter of 13 games in 2023, to the Arizona Cardinals for slot wide receiver Rondale Moore.
This move feels a lot like both teams helping each other get rid of the other's problem. Neither Moore nor Ridder lived up to their draft billing in their respective spots. Moore was taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft after a stellar career at Purdue. But between injuries and poor usage, Moore just has not been the dynamic player he was in college. He's played just 39 games in three seasons and has only 1,201 yards and three receiving touchdowns to his name.
The Falcons viewed Ridder as the potential answer at quarterback, but he did not play to that hope. He threw as many touchdowns as interceptions in 2023 with 12 apiece. He got benched multiple times during the season due to poor play and often failed to get the ball to the hands of his playmakers. There's a big reason why the Falcons got Kirk Cousins.
Just because Ridder and Moore failed to live up to the hype they entered the league with doesn't mean they can't be successful in new digs. They can both help their new teams. Just how much they can is worth analyzing and grading the trade even further.
Cardinals Grade: B
This grade comes down to cost for the Cardinals. Desmond Ridder showed he can win games in the NFL in a pinch. Last season, among quarterbacks with at least 120 snaps under center, Ridder finished 31st among 49 qualified quarterbacks in EPA plus CPOE composite score. Is that where you want your starter to be? No. But that's a pretty solid ranking for someone who will be a backup to Kyler Murray, who has had a track record of getting injured, including the torn ACL he suffered at the end of the 2022 season.
But was it worth dumping a former second-round pick for Ridder? Probably not considering they could've just signed a backup quarterback in free agency. Heck, Josh Dobbs, the backup in Arizona to begin last season and who started games for them in the first half of the season, is still a free agent and probably wouldn't cost much against the salary cap. Dobbs finished five spots behind Ridder in EPA plus CPOE and has familiarity with the system they run there.
Maybe the Cardinals just had enough of Rondale Moore. Greg Dortch is also another capable slot receiver who has arguably been better than Moore. Ridder is also on his rookie scale contract, so the Cardinals are saving money getting a cheap but capable backup quarterback. It's a fine trade for the Cardinals to make. It's just tough to give up on a former second-round pick.
Falcons Grade: A
Desmond Ridder quickly became expendable the second Kirk Cousins signed his new contract with Atlanta. That the Falcons outright traded him must mean they have faith in Cousins' health after tearing his Achilles last season. They'll need to find a backup, but as mentioned earlier, there are still some options available in free agency. They could also draft one.
But their electric group of pass catchers just got even more dynamic. Moore was a monster after the catch in college and could do the same out of the slot. He fits perfectly next to Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney and Bijan Robinson.
The hope here is that the Falcons let him run actual routes. Moore's average depth of target in Arizona over his career there was minuscule. It was 3.3 yards, 5.3 yards, and 5.2 yards downfield, sccording to playerprofiler.com. He was basically relegated to screens and dumpoffs like a running back. He is capable of much more than that.
Atlanta didn't pay a whole lot to get him and can tap into much more of his skillset than was showcased when Moore was a Cardinal. It was a low-risk, high-reward move. Hopefully, it pays off for them.
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