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The Tennessee Titans made a huge move once NFL free agency officially opened. They signed wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract with $50 million fully guaranteed.
Ridley was the top receiver on the open market. The Titans swooped in out of left field and signed him to give second-year quarterback Will Levis a shiny new toy to play with on offense.
What is the fantasy football impact of the Tennessee Titans signing Calvin Ridley?
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Calvin Ridley to the Titans: Fantasy Football Impact
First off -- congratulations to Ridley. He has been through quite the journey to get here. He overcame mental health struggles and a gambling suspension to earn a massive payday. This is a great feel-good story, and you love to see it.
Now, on to football.
We all know about Ridley’s breakout 2020 season. He carved up defensive backs routinely and appeared to be on his way to joining the game’s elite wide receivers.
Calvin Ridley goes up and gets a Touchdown #NFL #Falcons #RiseUp @FantasyFreaks_ pic.twitter.com/B8cZsJBx2j
— Dan Brown (@DanBrownNFL) September 16, 2019
Ridley was eventually traded to Jacksonville to be their WR1. Things didn’t quite go according to plan as he struggled with consistency and drops. Despite these issues, Ridley managed to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving and still looked like a quality separator at times.
Trevor Lawrence TO CALVIN RIDLEY 59-YARD TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!
Jags lead the Titans 10-7
pic.twitter.com/P4T1iop4mM— Sideline Daily (@sideline_daily) January 7, 2024
One area Ridley struggled with was dealing with press coverage.
Calvin Ridley's 2018 to 2021 average success rate vs. press coverage in #ReceptionPerception: 76.7%
Calvin Ridley 2023 in-season RP charting data: 64%
A lot going off course with this offense, but this has been part of the issue. https://t.co/xeJ6WjuyTd
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) November 13, 2023
Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Ridley ran the second-most routes outside among all receivers. Many routes run outside come at a high degree of difficulty and can be more susceptible to press man coverage. Playing Ridley outside less and out of the slot more often could help give him more room to operate.
Ridley’s play against press-man coverage did decline. However, the Jaguars did absolutely nothing to help combat this problem, as evidenced by the lack of creativity in his pre-snap deployment.
New Titans coach Brian Callahan is familiar with handling talented receivers. He was able to craft an offense that helped maximize Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins during his time in Cincinnati. There are 92 million reasons why Callahan can examine what went wrong for Ridley in 2023 and help bring out his best in Tennessee.
Now, there are legitimate questions surrounding quarterback Will Levis. He had an up-and-down rookie year. Callahan does have experience working with young quarterbacks as he was instrumental in Joe Burrow’s development. Levis is going to have to show improvement for Ridley to make good on this contract.
With a little more creativity and quality quarterback play, Ridley could once again be a fantasy force. If Levis does not progress or Ridley continues to struggle with press coverage, we could look back on this contract in a few years shaking our heads.
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