The Green Bay Packers lost Malik Willis to the Miami Dolphins in free agency this offseason, opening up the QB2 role behind Jordan Love. It seems that after the 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, the job is Desmond Ridder's to lose.
Ridder seems to be the guy, barring a dramatic jump from two quarterbacks who took a while to develop at the collegiate level, former Syracuse Orange and Ohio State Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord, and undrafted free agent Virginia Tech Hokies product Kyron Drones. Besides Ridder, no QB in the room has any NFL experience or came out of college football with much hype.
McCord was arguably the biggest reason the Buckeyes didn't make the 2023 College Football Playoffs. A transfer to Syracuse revived his career and got him on the Philadelphia Eagles' radar during the 2025 draft. Philadelphia took McCord with the No. 181 overall selection, but he didn't make it to the start of the regular season.
Drones, meanwhile, had one winning season in Blacksburg, Virginia, over three years as the Hokies' starter. His 55.8 percent completion rate last season looks like a bigger red flag than it is, since he faced pressure on 39.8 percent of his dropbacks. Still, it was puzzling to see the Packers give Drones a top-30 visit during the predraft process.
Barring exploring the market for cuts over the next few months or angling for a trade, Ridder is their guy. And that's, well, just a bit of a shocker.
One Jordan Love Injury Could Thrust Packers Into Ridder Disaster
A player like Ridder is probably best used as a practice squad body. He led the Cincinnati Bearcats to a four-team CFP in 2021, proving his ability to run the show against lesser competition in what was then known as the American Athletic Conference. Despite that collegiate success, Ridder has struggled mightily thus far in the NFL. During his lone season as the Atlanta Falcons' starter in 2023, Ridder threw 12 interceptions and fumbled the ball 12 times across 15 games. Ridder has two more touchdowns (16) than interceptions (14) and has put the ball on the ground 18 times in 25 career appearances.
As Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst enter what will be an all-important year in their respective tenures, it's shocking they'd rely on Ridder to man the ship if Love goes down. It is too early to say whether Green Bay has another trick up its sleeve, but if they don't, then Gutekunst and LaFleur will have to answer for this decision early and often.
Barring an unforeseen move to shore up the QB position behind Love, this draft oversight could be revisited if the worst-case scenario plays out in Green Bay this coming fall and Ridder is forced into action.
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