It doesn’t sound like Calvin Ridley‘s return is coming any time soon. While the Falcons wideout is now eligible to be activated off the non-football injury list, head coach Arthur Smith told reporters that he doesn’t have an update on the former first-round pick (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).
The wideout announced in late October that he’d be stepping away from football to deal with his mental health. The organization later placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list, meaning he’d miss at least three additional games. The 26-year-old is now eligible to come off the list, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to return to football.
The 2018 first-round pick emerged as one of the NFL’s top wideouts in 2020, finishing with 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. This was going to be a pivotal year for the former first-round pick. The Falcons picked up his fully guaranteed fifth-year option but have not yet signed him to an extension. The team also traded Julio Jones to the Titans, firmly establishing Ridley as Atlanta’s No. 1 wideout.
His numbers were a bit underwhelming through the first four games, with Ridley hauling in 27 catches for 255 yards and one touchdown. Since that time, he’s only seen time in one game, when he caught four passes for 26 yards and one touchdown.
Everyone should say a prayer
“Coach, one of your teams’ most important players is out with mental health issues, how is he doing?”
“Beats me.”
Old school.
I still can’t believe the Falcons didn’t draft a QB last year. Ryan sucks. Now their top WR…is…who knows.. while I hope he figures things out, he’s left his team in a horrible position. They just need to tear it down and rebuild.
His team was on a horrible position before he left
So…you’re aware they’re stuck with Ryan and his like 30M or more cap hit for what I believe is another season after this one, right? What is paying him and drafting a young guy honestly gonna do? The OL is trash. Their receiving options when Ridley isn’t available is pretty abysmal. So draft a new QB so he can get beat up? Dope idea.
Draft a QB and let me sit 1 year behind Ryan to gain some experience and when possible kick Ryan to the door… I am a huge ATL fan but Ryan and the coaching staff is taking the team down quick. We also need a good RB too in the draft not so Davis guy that was kicked by another team…
Drafting a QB is the WORST thing a team on a downslide can do. You should always look to strengthen the team, then draft a QB. Just look at the teams that keep drafting QB’s every third or fourth year versus the teams that rarely do, but build out the rest of the team first.
If you do go QB first, even if he gets good, by the time you have the rest of the team built up, the QB is nearing his first veteran contract, which immediately kills cap space. Just a really bad move to draft a QB on a team with so many holes.
Mental health comes first. Hope he gets in a better mental headspace soon.
Probably good for his mental health that he doesn’t have to play on the Falcons
Lol, ouch.
Ridley is about the only reason I’d bother to watch the Falcons. He’s an exciting game changer.
Patterson has been a much better play this year even when Ridley was actually playing
If I was the head coach I’d let the head physician have a turn at the microphone every week in order to address injury questions. Why waste the coach’s time?
I’d love to know what it’s like to be mentally distressed with millions of dollars at my disposal.
You don’t understand mental health
Comments like yours are why there’s such a stigma surrounding mental health.
Prayers to the young man ❤️