Wide receiver Calvin Ridley will take the field again for the 2023 season after missing all of last season due to a league suspension after he gambled on games.
He is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a squad that ended 2022 with a flurry and is now considered one of the NFL’s best and most promising young teams.
At a recent press conference, Ridley made sure to make positive connections with the journalists who were present.
Ridley also shook hands and introduced himself to every reporter at his presser, but @ColePepper pic.twitter.com/8X2fXLPDC4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 19, 2023
Before his betting scandal, Ridley was an emerging stud receiver.
He was the No. 26 pick in the 2018 draft, and he put up 821 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie.
During the 2020 campaign, he took things to another level with 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns, and he was among the league leaders with 15.3 yards per reception.
But midway through the 2021 season, he announced he was stepping away from football due to mental health issues.
At age 28, the Fort Lauderdale native still may have a bit of room for improvement, and he will augment an offense that was putting up a good number of points in November, December, and January.
If Ridley is pretty much the same player he was prior to 2021, he will take plenty of pressure off Christian Kirk, who had 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and he will also benefit from the presence of running back Travis Etienne, who rushed for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns in 2022.
It will be interesting to see how much more growth Jacksonville goes through next season and if they will truly build on the five-game winning streak to end the 2022 regular season.
NEXT:
Calvin Ridley Makes A Major Claim Ahead Of His NFL Comeback
