Calvin Ridley looking to prove he's still a top NFL receiver

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Calvin Ridley knows the questions are out there.

What will he look like after nearly two full years away from playing in an NFL game? Can he be anywhere close to the same player he was in 2020, when he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards? Is he still a gamebreaker?

The Jaguars' newest receiver has the answer: You'll see in September.

«I'm trying to be humble [and]I've been pretty good at football all my life, and I not only have been good, I also worked to be good,» Ridley said Wednesday in his first interview since he was cleared to return from his suspension for gambling on NFL games. «They say two years off. But what about the healing process? What if I got faster? What if I got stronger?

»Obviously I got wiser. Why can't I be better?"

That's certainly what the Jaguars are hoping because that would make them one of the NFL's best offenses in 2023. They were 10th in the NFL in total offense and scoring last season without Ridley and all the key playmakers — receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram, running back Travis Etienne Jr., and quarterback Trevor Lawrence — are back for the second season in head coach Doug Pederson's offense.

Ridley has already said in a report, by The Players' Tribune last month, that he would put up a 1,400-yard season in his return.

«I am a 1,400-yard type of player. God is going to determine what type of stats I am going to have,» Ridley said. «Football is serious. I mean, you don't just play 17 games straight and think you're going to be in every one of them and playing healthy in all of them. So what I'm saying is I am a 1,400 yard receiver with a broken foot.

»...So I know that I could make the plays, and I know that I'm one of the better receivers