NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Before the Titans dug into the meaty part of Tuesday’s practice, when five targets were breaking formation and spreading themselves out, Cam Ward launched a deep ball for Calvin Ridley that settled perfectly into his top receiver’s arms as he crossed into the end zone.
It did not mean a lot, but the moment made me think of all of the struggles Ridley had getting timed up with Will Levis last year as they were getting to know each other, and in a small way, I saw some promise in it.
For Ward to have the rookie season Tennessee is hoping for, the Ward-Ridley connection will have to be more reliable, more often, and sooner, so the receiver who was a big free-agent acquisition from Jacksonville a year ago can go beyond the 64 catches for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns he collected in 2024.
That was a solid season, but consider what it might have been if Ridley started better. In the Titans' first six games, he pulled in just 12 of 36 targets for 183 yards and one score.
He said he sees lessons in last year's slow connection with his quarterback that will benefit him now with Ward.
“Just go harder,” he said. “Just go get the ball. I’m telling myself, ‘If he throws the shit, go get the ball Rid, man.’ Be the way you need to be, be healthy, take care of your body and just be on point so there is none of that. … I want to be in the spot where he wants me. 'What do I need to do to make you feel better?' He’s easy to relate to, fun. I just like him.”
Ridley said a quarterback can’t be an overthinker or a jittery guy, and Ward’s calm makes it clear he’s not that.
“You’ve got to have that 'Fuck-it' mentality, Ridley said, “and he’s kind of got that.”
Ward had previously praised Ridley for being a pro and one of the most experienced players on the team.
In a seating scramble in the locker room, it was no accident that Brian Callahan put Ward between Ridley and Lloyd Cushenberry, the center with whom he’ll have to make regular clean exchanges.
Again, this week, after an open practice, the young quarterback was raving about his most skilled receiver.
“That man’s a dog,” he said. “He can win versus press-man, he knows zone, I think he’s one of the top five receivers in the NFL if not the best. I’m blessed to play with him. He’s going to make me look good every chance I get to throw the ball to him.”
I had Ward as 11-for-20 in seven-on-seven and team periods, suffering from two drops and one play where there was a major miscommunication, as no one was near his throw.
As I felt the two other times I’ve seen him, he was OK, fine, but there was nothing dazzling going on.
And for what he had going with Ridley, that early deep ball was a nice moment.
But there is work, of course.
He hit him once mid-range over the middle.
Later, they held a quick chat about positioning, with Ridley walking Ward to a spot, showing him something about the specifics of where he would be and the movement there. They agreed on the point and slapped hands.
In the middle of three late snaps of third and long, Ward overthrew Ridley who was one-on-one up the left side with safety Mike Brown.
And then on Ward’s final throw of the practice, after Thomas Odukoya had dropped one, Ward threw one far enough behind Ridley that it was hard to call it a drop when Ridley couldn’t turn his hip enough to get his hands back to it.
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Ridley’s brought a new training device to practice this year, a weighted football that Tyke Tolbert throws to him when he’s alone (or working with Tyler Lockett) during special teams periods. But he’s got all the receivers giving it a shift and working with it at other times.
“It’s just a way to make the ball lighter, the actually ball is like a feather then, you just pluck it out of the air,” Ridley said.
Ridley said Evan Engram had it when they were teammates in Jacksonville.
