By james art The Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) are doing their best to maintain a useful quarterback cap with the surprise signing of third-year quarterback Desmond Reeder off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad. A necessary acquisition for a team that only had one healthy quarterback entering the week.
Reeder spoke to the media Wednesday, getting choked up talking about his NFL journey.
Desmond Reeder got emotional when asked what it meant to him to get the call from the Raiders
“My daughter was like, ‘Dad, where are you going?’ I have to go to Vegas.”
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With starter Aidan O’Connell suffering a broken thumb last week in Los Angeles, he was placed on injured reserve and will be out for the next four to six weeks. The Raiders desperately needed a second solid quarterback in the room to work alongside current backup Gardner Minshue II.
They look to Reeder, who was recently cut by the Cardinals and placed on the practice squad in just his third year in the league. The former third-round pick was traded by the Atlanta Falcons this past offseason and failed to make the Week 1 roster in his new city.
Ridder was asked how he motivated himself to take another opportunity in the NFL and look to revive his career. He choked on a few words as tears began to well up in the young quarterback’s eyes.
“Because I just got cut three months ago,” Reeder said. “That should be enough of an opportunity, enough of a motivation to keep going at any time. At home I got the call and everything and my daughter was like, ‘Dad, where are you going?’ an opportunity to go out and prove to them, prove to myself, prove to everybody that I can be here and do this.”
It’s unimaginable what the players who play pinball between teams have to go through every year when they have a family foundation that means more than the game of football. Ridder is taking this opportunity head on and doing it for his family by making the most of his chances in a Raider uniform.
The confidence in the former Cincinnati Bearcat is still strong and he knows how capable he is to compete for the starting role and give this franchise an extra boost in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was asked if he has something to prove to the rest of the league upon his return.
“It’s not even about the rest of the league, it’s about myself,” Reeder said. “I know what I can do, I know what I can be, I just have to do it.”
Ridder looked sharp in practice this week, taking snaps next to Minshew, who was benched after Week 5 and currently leads the NFL with eight interceptions. There’s a chance the newest Raider gets the starting nod from head coach Antonio Pierce and needs to limit turnover to keep the job.
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