Tag: calvin rodley julio jones

Why Calvin Ridley is ready to be the Falcons’ top receiver… if necessary

If the Falcons and Julio Jones are truly done with each other, Calvin Ridley is ready to be Atlanta’s No. 1 receiver.

It’s clear that things have broken down between receiver Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons. On Monday, Shannon Sharpe of the “Undisputed” show got Jones to say on the air — whether Jones knew he was on the air or not — that he was “out of there,” and that wherever he goes, he “wants to win.” Which apparently precludes the Dallas Cowboys from trade discussions with Atlanta’s franchise receiver.

The Falcons are trying to clear cap space, which is the only sensible reason to trade Jones, but there we are. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reminded us that it was Jones who requested a trade a few months back, and that’s where things started. Where things are is the team’s official Twitter account summarizing what Jones said, which you don’t often see.

So, let’s assume that Jones will not be a Falcon in 2021. He’s somewhere else, and it’s up to the rest of Atlanta’s receivers to make up the difference. This is ostensibly one reason the Falcons selected Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, making Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in pro football history. New head coach and former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has displayed a deft touch with multiple tight end sets — last season, with two or more tight ends on the field, the Titans had fourteen receiving touchdowns to just two interceptions. Good news for Pitts and Hayden Hurst.

Of the remaining receiver corps in any post-Jones era in Atlanta, special attention should be paid to fourth-year man Calvin Ridley, selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Alabama. Jones missed seven games last season due to injury, which put the pressure on Ridley, and Ridley responded magnificently, catching 90 passes on 143 targets for 1,374 yards, and nine touchdowns. Jones’ absences gave defenses the opportunity to treat Ridley as the Falcons’ WR1 more often than not, and not only did Ridley prove able to live up to that title, he was also the most prolific deep receiver in the NFL last season.

Per Pro Football Focus, no other receiver had more deep targets (36) or deep receptions (16) in the 2020 regular season than Ridley. Only Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf had more total yards on passes of 20 or more air yards than Ridley’s 475, which tied him for second with Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. Ridley had just two deep touchdowns, but that’s as much a function of Atlanta’s offense over the years; just look at Jones’ touchdown totals throughout his career.

It’s not ideal for Smith if he doesn’t have Jones in his quiver, but Ridley was an able second No. 1, and if he has to be the top guy, he showed more than enough when Jones wasn’t on the field. To show this, we can look at some of the explosive plays Ridley was responsible for when Jones was out.

This 31-yard catch against the Chiefs in Week 16 came about as Kansas City’s defense spun to single-high post snap, receiver Russell Gage (No. 83) was doubled, and Ridley (No. 18) was left wide open on the intermediate crosser. There are times when post-snap coverage rotation negatively affects the defense, and this is one such example.

The week before, Ridley was responsible for this 28-yard play against the Buccaneers in which he showed an excellent feel for how to create space in coverage with movement, and then exploit that coverage.

Ridley may not have Jones’ ability to make contested catches as a superhuman level, but we’re talking about Julio Jones here — that guy is not necessarily replaceable with conventional receivers. But if the Falcons have to get it done on offense without Jones, Ridley is a primary reason that not all hope is lost.