Calvin Ridley claims he's still a 1,400-yard receiver

Calvin Ridley has missed the better part of two seasons due to injuries as well as a suspension in relation to gambling on league games. Even so, that absence has caused many to forget what he did over his first three seasons, specifically the statistics he put up in 2020.

That’s why he himself believes that he’s ready to remind everyone of who he is. In his first interview since his clearance to return, Ridley questioned why so many people are doubting him. If anything, he says his time away from the field may actually have made him better across the board.

“I’m trying to be humble…I’ve been pretty good at football all my life. And I not only have been good (but) I also worked to be good,” Ridley said to ESPN. “They say ‘two years off’. But what about the healing process? What if I got faster? What if I got stronger?…Obviously I got wiser. Why can’t I be better?”

Over his 49 career games, Ridley has caught 248 passes for just over 3,300 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns. Much of that production came in his third season, though, as he saw far more targets with the Atlanta Falcons. In that 2020 season, he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. That earned him a spot on the AP’s Second Team All-Pro that year.

Now, as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ridley knows he can be that player again. Assuming all goes well health-wise, he says he has all the ability to be one of the top receivers in the NFL.

“I am a 1,400-yard type of player. God is going to determine what type of stats I am going to have,” Ridley continued. “Football is serious. I mean, you don’t just play 17 games straight and think you’re going to be in every one of them and playing healthy in all of them. So what I’m saying is I am a 1,400 yard receiver with a broken foot.”

“I know that I could make the plays. And I know that I’m one of the better receivers in this league,” said Ridley. “That’s what I’m saying.”

We’ll have to see whether or not Ridley can cash these large checks that he’s writing upon his return to the field after quite some time away. Still, if nothing else, he doesn’t appear to lack confidence when it comes to what he can do when available and at his best.