The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major question mark at the quarterback position going into the 2024 campaign, and none of the three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster are signed beyond this year. Knowing that, it isn’t crazy to think Pittsburgh could pursue former third-round pick and quarterback, Desmond Ridder.
Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals earlier this offseason but was cut loose on Tuesday after losing a backup battle to Clayton Tune. He’ll now go to waivers, where teams can claim him on Wednesday.
The Steelers have a few notable connections with Ridder. Not only did he dine with head coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, he also played under Arthur Smith, who was his head coach with the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons.
Great seeing @CoachTomlin & @desmondridder again. I wanna thank all the NFL coaches and players dining at our Cincinnati restaurants. Have a great day tomorrow. BTW I’m a Bengals fan and Mike is a terrific guy. They are not mutually exclusive. pic.twitter.com/LZVCkqILj1
— Jeff Ruby (@TheRealJeffRuby) March 24, 2022
Considering their long-term situation under center and the obvious past interest from both Tomlin and Smith, the Steelers might take a flyer on the 24-year-old.
But unless the Steelers would be willing to part ways with veteran backup Kyle Allen, chances are they won’t look to add Ridder to the 53-man roster if they are indeed interested in him.
Instead, Pittsburgh should sign Ridder to the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers on Wednesday, which is certainly possible after he couldn’t even win a backup competition against Tune.
At this point, it really doesn’t hurt the Steelers to give themselves another option under center, but not at the expense of a 53-man roster spot.
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