Who Should I Start? Desmond Ridder or J.J. McCarthy

Tuesday, August 26, 1:53 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing quarterback Desmond Ridder on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Ridder was brought in off the street in July to push Jake Browning for the QB2 spot behind starter Joe Burrow, but it didn't work out, and Ridder will once again become a free agent searching for a team. It's possible that the 25-year-old returns to Cincy's practice squad during the 2025 season if he doesn't latch on with another organization. Ridder was taken in the third round (74th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, but he was turnover-prone and quickly wore out his welcome in his two seasons there before spending 2024 with the Raiders. In his lone season as the Falcons' starter in 2023, Ridder threw for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 picks in 15 games (13 starts).

Monday, September 15, 3:35 PM

Updating a previous report, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss two to four weeks with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in Sunday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Not only has McCarthy looked pretty bad in seven of the eight quarters he's played in the first two games of his NFL career, but now he's dealing with a multi-week injury. The good news is that when he's ready to return, he'll have receiver Jordan Addison back from suspension. Still, those expecting the 22-year-old former first-rounder to come in right away and play like Sam Darnold in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense have had a rude awakening. McCarthy deserves to be stashed in superflex and dynasty/keeper leagues, but in the meantime, veteran Carson Wentz could be a sneaky QB2 in two-QB leagues, beginning in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.