Calvin Ridley’s tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars started with a bang when the receiver racked up seven receptions, 92 yards, and a touchdown in just two quarters against the Indianapolis Colts. The wide receiver’s electric start then came to abrupt halt.
Ridley caught just one more pass in the second half against the Colts and had only two receptions against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Things got worse Sunday when Ridley dropped two passes — including what likely would’ve been a 30-yard touchdown — against the Houston Texans while also picking up a pair of false start penalties.
“I grabbed him coming off the field and I reiterated to him to take a deep breath,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said in a press conference Monday. “Stay locked in, stay engaged. I told him he was a big part of our system and the offense and he’s going to have a lot of success.
“Calvin wants to do so well, so good, so much. He wants to prove, but he doesn’t have to. He’s a good player and he doesn’t have to do all that. Just be Calvin. Those are the things that we’re just trying to get him to do, just relax, focus on his job and the plays that have his number attached to them.”
Pederson said that quarterback Trevor Lawrence has also made an effort to reassure Ridley that there’s been no confidence lost.
“Calvin is a great player. He’s proven it in this league,” Lawrence said Sunday shortly after the 37-17 loss. “He’s proven it this season at times, too. … I got all the faith in the world in him.
“He goes about his business the right way, he works hard every day. He comes to work with the right mindset. We were talking in the locker room, I got all the faith in the world in him. I’m not worried about him not being able to bounce back. He’s going to be just fine and we’re going to continue to work that.”
In the locker room after the game, Ridley rejected the idea that he’s been lacking in confidence, telling a reporter that it’s “just a lack of concentration in that moment.”
Through three games, Ridley has been the most targeted receiver by Lawrence, hauling in 13 of his 26 targets for 173 yards.
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