The Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense reached a whole new level in year one with Doug Pederson as the head coach, and even more help may be on the way by the start of next season.
Per NFL reporter Dov Kleiman, the Jaguars feel “strongly” that suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be reinstated at some point in the offseason. Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season after the NFL found out that he was gambling on NFL games.
Ahead of this season’s deadline, the Jaguars acquired the star wideout from the Atlanta Falcons for two draft picks (one of which could be a 2024 second-rounder). Ridley played five games for the Falcons in 2021 before stepping away to deal with his mental health. Ridley finished the 2021 season with 31 receptions for 281 yards and nine touchdowns.
The year before that, Ridley broke out as the Falcons’ new WR1 amid injuries to superstar Julio Jones. Ridley finished the 2022 season with 90 receptions for 1,374 yards (both career-highs) and nine touchdowns.
The Jaguars won the AFC South with a 9-8 record, defeating the Tennessee Titans in a win-or-go-home Week 18 contest. After eliminating the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card round, the Jaguars were eliminated by Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
Ridley would undoubtedly bring a great boost to a Jacksonville offense led by Trevor Lawrence, 1,000-yard receiver Christian Kirk and 1,000-yard back Travis Etienne Jr. We’ll just have to wait and see when the NFL makes a decision on reinstating him for 2023.
