After nearly two years away from the NFL, former Alabama wide receiver, [autotag]Calvin Ridley[/autotag], returns with a new number and a new team. Ridley was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, where he was a superstar and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, but the two sides just weren’t on the same page anymore.
Ridley missed the entirety of the 2022 season due to a suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s gambling policy, but despite that, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a future investment by trading for Ridley ahead of the trade deadline knowing he was not allowed to suit up again until 2023. Now, their move is beginning to come to fruition as Ridley has reportedly been outstanding through the first couple of days of training camp.
The Jaguars went 9-8 last season and were crowned as the champions of the AFC South, but at many times it felt as if they were just a piece away from being a really great team. In the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Jaguars came back from a staggering 27-0 deficit against the Chargers to win 31-30. The following weekend they were knocked off by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-20.
Jacksonville also won five of their final six games with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence beginning to look like a top-five quarterback in the league. Lawrence is easily the best quarterback that Ridley has ever played with and he should be in for a massive season statistically. Nathan Jahnke of PFF Fantasy says of Ridley, “The upside is there for his fantasy value to be elite.”
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