One of the big problems with the Titans\u2019 offense early last year was that quarterback Will Levis and wide receiver Calvin Ridley struggled to find chemistry.<\/p>\n
Part of the issue was that both players were not only new to one another, but also new to Brian Callahan\u2019s offensive scheme.<\/p>\n
Another issue was the commanding presence of veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a player Levis had learned to rely heavily upon during his rookie season.<\/p>\n
In any case, Ridley caught just nine passes (on 27 targets) for 141 yards and a touchdown in Levis\u2019 first five starts, a process that culminated with Ridley failing to catch a single pass in a home loss to Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
But as Ridley prepares for what will likely be a second straight season with a new starting quarterback, he and rookie Cam Ward appear to be doing everything they can to set the table for a productive relationship \u2014 right out of the gate.<\/p>\n
Coaches assigned the two to lockers located next to one another, and the communication appears to be flowing, whether it\u2019s on the field or off.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an excellent early sign, considering Ridley \u2014 who\u2019s coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons \u2014 is likely to be the focus of Ward\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just getting on the same page,\u201d Ridley said Tuesday. \u201cI honestly want to hear what he thinks because I just want to be in the spot where he wants me. So I ask him first, ‘What did I do wrong on the play,\u2019 no matter [whether it was] the throw or the catch \u2026 ‘What do I need to do to make you feel better?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to relate to him for me. He\u2019s fun. He\u2019s easy to talk ball with. I just like him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two spent a long time with one another following Tuesday\u2019s OTA (organized team activities) session, discussing route concepts and taking extra reps.<\/p>\n
Ward clearly knows the importance of connecting with Ridley, who has topped 60 receptions in five of his six seasons \u2014 and has a career average of 13.9 yards per reception.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Ridley finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 19 catches of 20 yards or more, and he finished tied for 10th with four receptions of 40 yards or more.<\/p>\n
Ward, meanwhile, connected on 34 passes of more than 20 yards downfield last year at Miami, producing 14 touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 131.5 NFL quarterback rating on those completions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat man a dawg,\u201d Ward said of Ridley. \u201cHe can win vs press, man. He knows zone. I think he\u2019s one of the top five receivers in the NFL, if not the best. I\u2019m blessed to play with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gonna\u2019 make me look good every chance I get to throw the ball to him. But he\u2019s a guy who\u2019s coachable. He\u2019s a team guy, and he\u2019s the right person to lead that [receivers] room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ridley said he knew from the first day he met Ward that the young quarterback\u00a0 \u2014 the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft \u2014 had the kind of work ethic and dedication necessary to succeed at the position.<\/p>\n
The fact that Ward has been arriving regularly at the team facility at 5 a.m., ready to review tape, has only reenforced Ridley\u2019s impression.<\/p>\n
On the field, Ridley says it\u2019s easy to see Ward\u2019s talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen a great arm, a great mind,\u201d Ridley said. \u201cSomeone who believes he can make most of the throws and knows he can make the throws. Nice release. He can fit the ball pretty much wherever he wants. So it\u2019s pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s also been impressed by the chilled demeanor of the 23-year-old Ward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just calm,\u201d Ridley said. \u201cHe\u2019s relaxed. You need that out of your quarterback position. You can\u2019t be an overthinker, a jittery guy. You gotta\u2019 be okay with [screwing] up, doing good, and you know, just have that [screw] it mentality. He kind of got that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hope is that the good vibes flowing in each direction will help Ward and Ridley get off to a good early start, the kind of beginning that eluded Ridley and Levis in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been good [working] with Rid, especially a vet who\u2019s had a decent amount of stops, who\u2019s produced at every stop,\u201d Ward said. \u201cFor him to hear my feedback on what I want, and [for me] to hear his.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause at the end of the day, if I\u2019m not clicking, he\u2019s not clicking \u2026 we\u2019re the two main pieces. So we just got to listen to each other, and continue to build that chemistry, staying after practice, getting work in, and even on the weekend getting work in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the big problems with the Titans\u2019 offense early last year was that quarterback Will Levis and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102618,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2061],"tags":[1811,4048,127,4695,7,6,526,394,2411,527,1246],"class_list":{"0":"post-102617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennessee-titans","8":"tag-brian-callahan","9":"tag-calvin-ridley","10":"tag-cam-ward","11":"tag-deandre-hopkins","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-tennessee","15":"tag-tennessee-titans","16":"tag-tennesseetitans","17":"tag-titans","18":"tag-will-levis"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114623624459506582","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}