In light of Aidan O’Connell’s injury, the Las Vegas Raiders are wasting no time in expanding their quarterback room and signing Desmond Ridder to the team, according to a team source.

Ridder was plucked from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad and will join the Raiders in Week 8. In two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Ridder threw for 3,544 yards with 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. During that time, he went 8-9 as a starter.

Ridder, a third-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2022 NFL Draft, was traded to Arizona in March for wide receiver Rondale Moore. The 25-year-old signal caller has yet to play a single game this season.

Ridder’s signing comes after O’Connell suffered a broken thumb in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which will put him on injured reserve and sideline him for four to six weeks, a league and team source monday.

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Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell expected to miss 4-6 weeks

O’Connell started the final two games after taking over the starting job from Gardner Minshew. O’Connell has thrown for 455 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions this year, while Minshew has 1,168 passing yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

In recent weeks, the Raiders offense has seen wide receiver Jakobi Meyers sidelined with an injury. Fellow WR Davante Adams was moved to the New York Jets in a deal last week after requesting a trade, while first-round draft pick tight end Brock Bowers emerged as a bright spot and led the team in receptions ( 47), targets (60) and receiving yards (477).

Overall, the team’s offense ranks 24th in points, 25th in total offense, 30th in rushing, is tied for fifth in most sacks allowed (20), and the team’s quarterbacks lead the league interceptions (10).

Could Ridder start for the Raiders?

The Raiders needed a healthy quarterback body when O’Connell broke his thumb on Sunday. They’re also unsure whether to accelerate the timeline of practice squad QB Carter Bradley, an undrafted rookie from South Alabama. Ridder was benched twice by the Falcons last year and they traded the 2022 third-round pick to the Cardinals. The Cardinals released Ridder when he lost the battle for the backup job to rookie Clayton Tune, but then reinstated him to the practice squad.

Minshew, to whom the team has guaranteed $15 million this season, remains the de facto starter for now despite four turnovers in Sunday’s loss and a league-high in turnovers this season. Ridder started 13 games for the Falcons last year. He completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,836 yards, 12 TDs and 12 INTs. — Vic Tafur, Raiders senior writer

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(Photo: Norm Hall/Getty Images)