Who Should I Start? Desmond Ridder or Tyson Bagent

Sunday, July 20, 1:53 PM

Former Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Desmond Ridder is signing an undisclosed deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Ridder will bring some experience to the Bengals' QB room behind starter Joe Burrow. The 25-year-old Ridder will join backups Jake Browning and Logan Woodside. He was originally a third-rounder by Atlanta in 2022 out of Cincinnati. Ridder made 17 starts in Atlanta in his first two years in the NFL before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2024. He then appeared in six games with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024 before joining the Bengals this summer. In three NFL seasons, Ridder has completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 25 games (18 starts). He will not be a lock to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.

Thursday, August 22, 11:37 PM

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent threw for 57 yards on three completions and ran for a five-yard touchdown in the team's preseason finale Thursday night. The rushing score was set up by a 44-yard reception to wide receiver Nsimba Webster a few plays prior. Bagent played one more drive which resulted in a turnover on downs before getting the rest of the night off. The undrafted second-year quarterback is entrenched as the backup to Caleb Williams on Chicago's depth chart. He looks like one of the better backups in the NFL, picking up two wins in four starts as a rookie.