Who Should I Start? Lamar Jackson or Desmond Ridder

Thursday, July 17, 7:17 PM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finished the 2024 season with career-highs in passing yards (4,172), completions (316) and touchdown passes (41) while throwing only four interceptions on 474 attempts. He added 915 yards on the ground and passed Michael Vick for all-time rushing yards by a QB. Jackson is scary good as a passer and a runner, which is why he'll be one of the first QBs taken in fantasy drafts in the early rounds. BaltimoreRavens.com's Clifton Brown writes that Jackson is set up for even more success in 2025 going into his third season with Todd Monken running the offense. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history with 40 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs in the same year in 2024. They were also the first team to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000. There's the potential for Jackson to take his game to yet another level.

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.