Two NFL quarterbacks who started for their respective teams in Week 1 of the 2023 season appeared to be on the move Thursday.
First, the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to trade quarterback Desmond Ridder and wide receiver Rondale Moore to the Arizona Cardinals, according to multiple reports. The Falcons made this move after agreeing to a four-year contract with Kirk Cousins, one of the blockbuster moves of the offseason so far.
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Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons scrambles against the Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on January 7, 2024. (Chris Gracen/Getty Images)
Later that day, it was reported that the Washington Commanders traded quarterback Sam Howell and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 third- and fifth-round draft pick. It was done. With this move, it appeared Washington was ready to select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.
Ridder and Howell were both scheduled to be starting quarterbacks in 2023.
Ridder is a former Cincinnati player and a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022. He started 13 of 17 games in 2023 and had 2,836 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Taylor Heinicke started five games for Atlanta in 2023, followed by Logan Woodside.
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Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders warms up before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field on January 7, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Scott Tetch/Getty Images)
The Falcons finished with a record of 7 wins and 10 losses for the third year in a row, missing out on the playoffs. The team fired Arthur Smith as head coach and hired Raheem Morris. Cousins was signed to join a group of promising emerging players including Bejan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake Rondon.
Howell is from North Carolina and had a lot of hype surrounding him. Although he lost in the fifth round to the Commanders in 2022, he was named the starter at the start of the 2023 season and played in each of 17 games. He threw for an NFL-leading 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions for 3,946 yards.
Washington was 4-13 and looked ready to start over, especially after hiring Dan Quinn as head coach.
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All eyes will be on the draft to see what teams will do to strengthen their rosters.
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