Calvin Ridley listed atop Jaguars depth chart
The NFL has slapped several players on the wrist this offseason for gambling. However, Calvin Ridley, who the league gave a suspension to for the previous season, has served his time and now, in Jacksonville, just earned a major nod from his new franchise.
The Jaguars released their first unofficial depth chart for the upcoming year on Tuesday morning. On that chart, the team listed Ridley as a starting wide receiver alongside Christian Kirk and Zay Jones.
Ridley was a full-time starter for his last full season with the Atlanta Falcons back in 2020. In that season, he made the AP’s All-Pro Second Team after catching 90 passes, off of 143 targets, for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns.
For his career, Ridley has just shy of 250 catches to his name. Those have led to 3,342 career receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.
Jacksonville has been on the lookout for a potential No. 1 receiver to pair with Trevor Lawrence. After stepping up from Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault Jr. as a rookie to Kirk, Jones, and, to a lesser degree, Evan Engram in his second year, Ridley is the kind of receiver that could now take the former No. 1 pick’s game up another notch if he is what he once showed what he could be in Atlanta.
Ridley to be limited in training camp with toe injury
Calvin Ridley is taking it easy at training camp following a toe injury he suffered last week according to head coach Doug Pederson. Ridley will be a limited participant in practice until he’s fully recovered.
The toe injury was reportedly due to the cleats the wide receiver was wearing for camp. He changed cleats and is feeling better, according to Mark Long.
This is not the first time since his return that the Jaguars have had to put the brakes on him. During OTAs, Pederson explained why they were limiting him.
“He’s the type of guy that you have to pump the brakes with,” Pederson said. “He wants to go so much and so fast and so hard out there at practice that we just have to pump the brakes and just tell him, ‘Hey, now’s not the time.’”
Ridley has also admitted how hard it is for him to modulate himself to match the coaches’ plan for him.
“I only really know one speed, but I got to gradually get my body back to football, like football and be peaking into the season, not out here (in OTAs),” Ridley said. “Of course I expected I would be a little rusty because you can’t really get ready for this. I mean the heat, the helmet. Just running every day is what it really is because you get sore. I’ve got to make sure I build and not be sore in the season.”