QB Desmond Ridder embracing Raiders opportunity

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Desmond Ridder, already on his third team in less than a year, choked up and fought back tears inside the Las Vegas Raiders' locker room Wednesday afternoon.

Signed off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad less than 48 hours earlier, Ridder was asked about the opportunity at hand, if he had a chip on his shoulder, and his mind went to his 3-year-old daughter.

"Daddy, where are you going?'" Ridder recounted her asking, as his eyes glistened.

"I'm like, 'Got to go to Vegas.'"

Ridder, a third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons at No. 74 in the 2022 draft, caught himself.

"I do everything for them," he said. "I do everything for my family. So, this is just another opportunity to go out and prove to them, prove to myself, prove to everyone that I can be out here and go do this."

Expectations might have been high in Atlanta as Ridder was the second of nine quarterbacks selected two-plus years ago, before being traded to the Cardinals in March.

They are more muted in Las Vegas, what with Ridder joining the Raiders in the wake of Aidan O'Connell suffering a broken thumb on his right passing hand, and with Gardner Minshew responsible for four turnovers himself in Sunday's 20-15 loss at the Los Angeles Rams.

For one, Ridder is just learning the Raiders' offensive system.

For another, while Ridder will be the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback Sunday at Allegiant Stadium against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, there is no guarantee he will see the field.

Yet, if Minshew gets off to another slow and turnover-prone start, fans will be beckoning for a switch.

Ridder has a backer in the Raiders' locker room in receiver Tre Tucker, his college teammate at Cincinnati. After all, he's going to let Ridder stay with him in his home until he gets settled and, Tucker said, he, too, got emotional about the reunion with his old quarterback.

"[He's] a guy who set all types of records in college, the best quarterback to come through there in Cincy, and all the things that we did there and to get drafted and to kind of go through his whole situation, I really felt for him," Tucker said. "He's lengthy but athletic and can move and run. I think that's one of his best skill sets and, obviously, good touch on the ball. Good accuracy and all that stuff."

Ridder, who said the Raiders' scheme is similar to those he played in with the Falcons and Cardinals, is 8-9 as a starter with 19 career NFL appearances, all with Atlanta.

He has passed for 3,544 yards, while completing 64.0% of his throws, with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

"Great to have Des in while Aidan's banged up," said Minshew, who threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown at the Rams and is tied for the league lead in turnovers (10) with Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Ridder's situation as a young starter was similar to that experienced by O'Connell last season, and that Ridder has "just been himself" his first week in Las Vegas.

"I don't think he's trying to press, and we're not asking him to press and go in and be the starting quarterback and help us turn this thing around," Pierce said. "He's just a part of the puzzle for us, and I think he's doing a good job in the room. He has a good setting and presence about himself.

"Very confident player, sharp and, to be honest, he's working his tail off to try to learn the playbook as fast as he can."

Ridder already knows all about the team's following.

"One of the best fan bases, from Oakland to Vegas, they show up and show out," he said. "So that's really what I'm excited for, to go out there on Sunday and really see the Black Hole, see what it's really about. So it will be fun. But this team, I know this team fights week in and week out, always in a game, never out, and that's [also] what I'm excited for.

"I'm just coming in here, feeling it out, and when my time's ready to go, that's when we will be ready to go ... every single day, just coming in here, trying to better myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and just trying to be a better person, better teammate."