Gene Frenette: Calvin Ridley must be focused, productive receiver for Jaguars to get back on track

Calvin Ridley is different in multiple ways from many of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ other skill players, and not just because he’s a newcomer to the offense put together by Doug Pederson and coordinator Press Taylor.

Ridley understands the expectations of what he was to bring to this offense isn’t the same as quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s other targets, mainly Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram and Travis Etienne.

The Jaguars need him, though not a true No. 1 receiver in the same realm of a Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill, to be someone who makes defensive coordinators plenty nervous and helps provide openings for his fellow receivers.

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If the Jaguars are going to knock off the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank Stadium on Sunday Night Football, especially with Kirk on injured reserve at least another three weeks, it’s imperative for No. 0 to be at least near the top of his game.

It’s fair to say Ridley, as evidenced by a wide production disparity in the Jaguars’ eight wins (40 catches, 571 yards, 5 TDs) and five losses (15 catches, 171 yards, 0 TDs), has been plenty explosive at times and maddeningly inconsistent at others.

More than any other Jaguars weapon, Ridley is also more sensitive to criticism and not nearly at ease in media settings, which is by no means a flaw. He simply feels higher anxiety and pressure to perform, especially being with a new team and on an expiring contract.

It’s understandable Ridley might be less comfortable in public forums. He has dealt with mental health issues that compelled him to take a sabbatical from the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, was later suspended by the NFL for gambling and removed from football for almost two years.

All of that adversity was long ago preceded by being forced to live in a foster home as a kid with his three brothers due to parental issues.

Ridley’s career isn’t in the same stable place as many of his high-profile offensive teammates. It’s easy to see why he feels a greater burden being under the microscope.

Fixing miscommunication issues

So when Ridley addressed the media Wednesday, facing some of the same questions that Lawrence and Jones answered with routine self-criticism after the offense’s suspect performance in the 31-27 loss to the Cleveland Browns, it wasn’t shocking the experience for Ridley was about as pleasant as getting his teeth pulled.

Ridley didn’t like being asked about miscommunication issues or what went wrong on the red zone interception in which he was the intended target, all topics Pederson and Lawrence answered matter-of-factly, albeit not fun to talk about.

Lawrence showed visible frustration on the interception by Mark Emerson at the Cleveland 8, twice taking his index fingers and pointing toward his eyes, suggesting Ridley needed to look back sooner for the ball.

Ridley initially balked at answering about what he might have done wrong, saying, “What do you think happened right there?”

When told Lawrence’s reaction made it seem like he needed to look for the ball sooner, he conceded: “I just needed to look a little earlier, that was it. That was pretty much it on the play. Just get my head around.

“But it was a different look and I didn’t get my head around fast. The ball came out a little faster than I thought. I just need to be locked in in that moment more and just see the look better.”

Receivers coach Chad Hall agreed Ridley’s route wasn’t the problem, but how he didn’t react quick enough.

“There’s no sit in that route,” said Hall. “It’s a wrap route. He’s wrapping in. If he looks for the ball and expects the ball, and his shoulder’s turned, that’s a completion. So he’s just got to be a little bit more urgent right out of the break. That’s what we talked about.”

For Ridley, things got testier with the media when asked about getting on the same page with Lawrence, firing back: “I’m on the page with him. I’m just saying, I’m on the page with him. I ran the route he knew I was running.”

In the fourth quarter, Ridley was also caught looking at an official as the ball was being snapped, gesturing in disbelief over the Browns not being called for offsides.

Fortunately, Lawrence looked immediately to the opposite side and threw a 19-yard TD pass to Parker Washington because Ridley took himself out of the play by complaining about a no-penalty call.

“What should I have done on that one?” said Ridley. “I was just in disbelief they didn’t call a penalty.”

The obvious answer is focus on running the route, not walk toward the official to complain why a flag wasn’t thrown as the play is proceeding.

“I thought that play was going to stop. It is what it is,” Ridley said.

Well, here’s what is the present reality: the Jaguars have four regular-season games left, plus a home postseason game if they win the AFC South, and they need a totally focused Ridley to be at his best.

Moving on without Kirk

Despite Ridley’s sub-par showing against the Browns, where he caught just four passes for 53 yards on 13 targets and Jones (five catches in 14 targets) was equally suspect, both Taylor and receivers coach Chad Hall were adamant that any media narrative suggesting wrong routes were run was off target.

While all-around criticism of the offense was merited, the bigger culprit was poor execution and miscommunication problems with Lawrence and the entire unit. That’s something that should be unacceptable this late in the season.

“I think there was a big difference in running the wrong route and not being on the exact same page with running a route,” Taylor said. “We have not had wrong routes; it has not been this person doesn’t know what they’re doing, they’re running the wrong route, things like that.”

More important than any blame game is what Ridley and the rest of the Jaguars offense intend to do about filling the void left by Kirk.

It’s not like other NFL teams, including the Ravens, haven’t been forced to move on without impactful players.

Baltimore lost top running back J.K. Dobbins for the season to a torn Achilles in Week 1, but continue to have the NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack at 157.1 yards per game. Sure, the running threat presented by quarterback Lamar Jackson is a big factor, but the RB trio of Gus Edwards, Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill also has a combined 1,223 yards and 15 TDs.

Before he was lost three weeks ago to a season-ending ankle injury, the Ravens’ Mark Andrews had been top-five among tight ends in receiving yards (544) and is still tied for the NFL lead in TDs with six.

Yet in Baltimore’s last two games, tight end replacement Isaiah Likely has delivered nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

So the Ravens (10-3) find a way to make up for missing skill players. Now it’s up to the Jaguars’ receiving corps to do the same without Kirk.

“When they have a play come their way, just make the play,” said Hall, a former four-year NFL receiver with three different teams. “We don’t need to press. We just need to do our job. Christian’s [Kirk] an unbelievable receiver. He’s like a second quarterback on the field, he’s so smart. His intelligence, he’s like a security blanket for Trevor.

“So you don’t have that any more, but you got to mold it and that’s part of my job. It’s really just creating one [receiver] out of a couple different guys.”

Rare emotion for Trevor

Nobody is suggesting that Ridley must now take over games. Still, the Jaguars aren’t paying him $11.1 million this year — later deciding whether to re-sign the free agent to a long-term extension — to have just decent production. He's 41st in the NFL in catches (55), 29th in yards (742) and a stunning 95th in catch percentage (56.7 percent) among players with a minimum 30 receptions.

It’s go-time now for Ridley. These upcoming games without Kirk figure to be a huge component in determining his true market value for the Jaguars or somebody else.

For a player who turns 29 on Dec. 20, Ridley’s hopes for a lucrative contract will largely ride on what NFL teams see as the Jaguars now rely on him more than ever.

Ridley, who led the SEC with 89 catches as a freshman at Alabama in 2015, has never lacked confidence. He’s borderline defiant about his ability to help the Jaguars recover from a two-game losing streak without Kirk in the lineup for a third game.

“Listen, I’m going to sit here and I’m going to back myself up when my back’s against the wall or anybody,” said Ridley. “I’m going to protect myself. I’m here with my teammates. We’re going to be all right. I’m going to say that every time. That’s me.

“I’ve been good at football for a while. But listen, I’m going to go out there and play. I’m not worried about who is on the field or not. I’m not worried about that. I’m going to go out and do what I got to do.”

Nobody more than Lawrence wants Ridley to become that “1,400-yard receiver” he proclaimed himself to be in his first public appearance as a Jaguar. The Jaguars need every key component of their offense to be on point against the Ravens, the NFL’s fourth-highest scoring team at 27.8 points per game.

Lawrence knows for that to happen, he needs a hyper-focused, attentive Ridley to be in sync with him. That picture of Trevor showing his displeasure with Ridley last week isn’t something he wants repeated.

“Yeah, that’s something where I really try to keep my emotions out of stuff like that typically,” Lawrence said. “I think there’s a time and a place. I have a lot of respect, too, for my teammates and how hard it is for all of us to do our job. I understand that this isn’t an easy game and there’s going to be mistakes. There’s been a lot of times where I made some mistakes, some bad mistakes, and guys don’t come out of left field chewing me out.

“I’ve always tried to keep the right perspective, but I do think as a leader, it’s important at certain times to show your frustration and there needs to be a sense of urgency to correct things and to play better.

“On the other side of that, if there is an issue, if there’s a conversation that needs to be had, it needs to be a conversation. It’s not just freaking out on the field and you just move on and brush it off.”

That was a measured, diplomatic Lawrence putting a testy situation in the right context. It’s also a quarterback accustomed to the media spotlight and knowing the right thing to say in any given moment.

Ridley isn’t that guy, but what he does have in common with Trevor and his fellow receivers is a relentless passion to elevate his team into a Super Bowl contender.

The Jaguars thought enough of him to reinvigorate his career. It’s time for Calvin Orin Ridley to show them he’s that special receiver many always believe he can be.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette   

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars need best version of Calvin Ridley to surface during Kirk's absence