Minnesota Vikings add quarterback depth with former starter after J.J. McCarthy’s injury, and it gives them a unique advantage
It’s an interesting signing for one main reason.
The Minnesota Vikings were active on Tuesday, fortifying their roster amid a multitude of injuries. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is projected to miss multiple weeks with a sprained ankle, including this Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Even though the Vikings have Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer in the building, they still decided to make a move to fortify the position by bringing in former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Vikings signing QB Desmond Ridder
Ridder was a third-round pick of the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft. They believed he could become the starter in Atlanta, but across 19 games and 17 starts, it didn’t work out. He went 8-9 as a starter, throwing 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. They moved on from him after the 2023 season, and he spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. It didn’t go well for him there either, which is why he was available ahead of Week 3.
Ideally, the Vikings would have brought in Brett Rypien, who spent the 2024 season with the team and knows the playbook well. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available since he’s with the Bengals now.
Obviously, the Vikings don’t want to have to play Ridder, but this is also a signal that they might not want to play Brosmer either. He is a UDFA and, although they are high on his future, it’s not something where they want to be forced to play him way before he’s ready.
There is one advantage to bringing in Ridder. He spent the offseason and training camp with the Bengals, which could give the Vikings an advantage over the Bengals. Teams do this all the time, and the Vikings could end up getting a piece of information to help them get the win.
The Vikings will have three healthy quarterbacks going into the weekend, and they’ll be ready to roll.
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Injury to Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy highlights major inconsistency in the NFL they have no desire to truly fix
The Minnesota Vikings have gotten bad news about quarterbacks before, and it will certainly happen again, but it doesn’t make it sting any less that J.J. McCarthy will miss two to four weeks with a sprained ankle suffered against the Atlanta Falcons in a 22-6 loss. Going into their Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati […]
