Titans QB Will Levis, new WR1 Calvin Ridley struggling to connect consistently

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Wednesday's joint practice with the Seahawks, new Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley stood next to the field, surrounded by a throng of local media, and explained his two missed deep-ball opportunities during team drills. 

He beat the Seattle cornerback both times, he said, but he just didn't finish his routes. 

Next thing he knew, quarterback Will Levis had launched the passes — and Ridley wasn't there to meet the ball. 

"My energy, man. It wasn't there. I just wasn't finishing," he said. "I just have to run full speed the whole time."

The blown chances encapsulate what's been an inconsistent connection between Levis and Ridley through three-plus weeks of training camp. 

They've had their dazzling moments. In a practice earlier this month, Ridley made one play that made the team's Instagram page — a ridiculous snag in tight coverage down the sideline where he managed to get both feet in-bounds as he tumbled to the ground. In the Titans' preseason opener, he had a 22-yard catch and run that helped set up a touchdown. 

But the connection between the quarterback and his new star receiver has largely been defined by deep targets that have sailed incomplete — a combination of error on one or both their parts, bad timing and miscommunication. 

In free agency, the franchise gave Ridley a four-year deal worth $92 million, including $50 million guaranteed, highlighting its effort to upgrade Levis' surrounding cast. Tennessee needs Ridley to be a game-changing receiver, magnified in the short term with fellow wideouts DeAndre Hopkins out for several weeks with a knee injury and Tyler Boyd day-to-day with a foot bruise.

"It's never a linear process." coach Brian Callahan said of the rapport between QB and