Falcons hype should be through the roof after Cardinals roster move

Despite Rondale Moore being out for the season due to injury, there is a chance the Atlanta Falcons have already won the Desmond Ridder trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Atlanta moved on from its occasional starting quarterback over the last few years in exchange for the enticing former star wide receiver from Purdue. Moore may be out for the count, but at least he did not get cut like Ridder did.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Ridder did not make the team out of camp. He was battling with Clayton Tune for the right to be Kyler Murray's backup in The Valley of the Sun. Second-year head coach Jonathan Gannon seems to have chosen wisely. All signs point to Ridder signing with the Cardinals to be a member of their practice squad. Atlanta had this man starting games last season.

Not only that, but Ridder was doing so in a very frustrating Arthur Smith offense. Atlanta used its third-round pick on Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft with the hopes that he could be the Falcons' version of what Smith had as an offensive coordinator in Nashville with Ryan Tannehill. Ridder has some good physical traits, but is more of a runner than a thrower. Moreover, he made so many bad decisions.

While I like the Cardinals' upside heading into this season, Atlanta is more likely to reach the playoffs.

It may have been painful while it lasted, but Falcons fans no longer have to suffer like they once did.

Desmond Ridder cut by Cardinals has Falcons looking smart in their trade

Even if he is on a new team and hanging onto his NFL career by a thread, I do wish Ridder and his family the best. He was tremendous college player at Cincinnati, helping Luke Fickell's team reach the College Football Playoff out of the Group of Five. That may have tainted my view of him through rose-colored glasses. I will admit that. However, Atlanta needed to know if he could play or not. He couldn't.

As we take a look at what the offense could look like in Atlanta, it has to be better than what it was previously. Yes, Atlanta could really run the football under Smith's guidance, but there was rarely any margin for error in Falcons' games with him at the helm of it. This is a big reason why Atlanta never won three games in a row under his leadership. Maybe that could change under this new regime?

Raheem Morris may be a defensive-minded head coach, but he did serve as the wide receivers coach on Dan Quinn's staff before replacing him as the interim in 2020. More importantly, Zac Robinson stems from the same Sean McVay coaching tree that saw Kevin O'Connell have great success working with Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. If he is healthy, then Atlanta can be a playoff team this year.

Whether it is Cousins or even Michael Penix Jr. down the line, Atlanta should come out of this okay.