Jaguars Notebook: 5 Observations on Calvin Ridley and More From OTA No. 1

With the first practice of OTAs in the books, what did we see from the Jaguars on the practice field?

20 teams kicked off voluntary organized team activities on Monday, including a hungry Jacksonville Jaguars team that is looking to capitalize off of last year's success. 

"I think it falls back to the number of guys that are here and the commitment that these guys have made to be here. Again, I keep stressing it's a voluntary program, but to see these guys in the building every single day shows me that they want to win and they want to win here," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said before practice. 

"I can't let them be a one-and-done season. We have to continue to build on that. And we talked a lot about this last year. Consistency in winning goes a long way. And that's what I'm seeing from the guys and the effort that they're putting in during the phase one and phase two and obviously now starting phase three. So it's great to see everybody. I think that's the first step. And then it's something that it just can't be lip service. We have to go out and prepare and work and put the time in order to be where we want to be."

So, what all did we see from the Jaguars during their first OTA practice of the offseason? We break it down below. 

Calvin Ridley is still Calvin Ridley

When it comes to playing wide receiver, Calvin Ridley is a bad, bad man. This much we all knew heading into the week, but it is still notable to see just how at home the former Pro Bowler looked in his first organized team practice since the 2021 season. When players are in shorts and helmets, it is usually more telling when they struggle as opposed to when they thrive, but it was easy to say Ridley had a strong day on Monday. 

Ridley simply moves differently than any other wide receiver on the field. The pacing and tempo in his routes, the quickness of his feet, and his ability change up his approach to routes even when he isn't getting the ball all stand out. So did two impressive catches he made on Monday, including one play where he plucked a fastball from Trevor Lawrence out of the air with ease.

"I've been really impressed with Calvin. I've watched every snap Calvin's played in the NFL, just like a lot of our guys have. So we're very confident in the player we're getting," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said on Monday. 

"And then to be able to meet him in person, we've had a lot of people that vouched for him, obviously going back to when we acquired him, but the work he's put in this offseason has been impressive just in terms of meaning the extra work he does. And you can tell he is doing it because he comes in the next day, he's got his list of questions, and they're very thought out. You can tell he's peeked ahead of the install or just looking a couple of days ahead as we go on. So he's done a great job, just intermixing with the group and making his own role."

Trevor Lawrence is poised to reap the benefits of the Jaguars' offensive continuity 

Last year's OTAs period was an interesting one to watch in regards to quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The subtle improvements and signs of a big year were always there, but it was clear Lawrence was going to have to clear the hurdle of learning a new offense before he truly took a big step. He did both, though, and is now set up to reap all of the benefits in 2023 as the Jaguars return the same scheme, most of the same skill players and offensive linemen, the same head coach, same offensive coordinator, and same quarterbacks coach. 

Lawrence looked like a seasoned veteran in terms of his ability to command the offense on Monday. Any guess work when it comes to Lawrence's role and responsibility on any given play in the Jaguars' offense has been tossed out the window thanks to last season's growing experience inside the Jaguars' scheme. Pederson said before the practice that the continuity on the field meant he didn't want to see many incomplete passes. On Monday, Lawrence's mature feel for the offense ensured he didn't. 

Jaguars pull in strong attendance numbers for voluntary practices

The Jaguars had almost 100% of their 90-man roster at the first day of OTAs, which is a great sign for where the Jaguars want to go. The only three veterans not in attendance on Monday were offensive tackle Cam Robinson, edge rusher Josh Allen, and tight end Evan Engram, and known of those were ultimately surprising considering Robinson is coming off a knee injury and Allen and Engram are in contract years.

Voluntary practices are exactly that: voluntary. But for the Jaguars to return almost every veteran starter from a year ago -- and for each of their new pieces to hit the field -- on Monday means the Jaguars' roster isn't resting on their laurels and taking last year as a success. 

"Yeah, I mean you just lean on the guys. I think they understand me, I understand them. That's why we have such a high percentage of guys that are here in this type of voluntary, in this world of voluntary off-season program. We have the amount of guys that we do have here. They understand the type of work that we do. And that goes a long way," Pederson said. 

"Not only just this time of the year, but you get into December and January as we talk and that's where the trust and that camaraderie come into play. But we're building that foundation every year's a different year. Every team's a different year, last year's done and it's in the rear view mirror and we're still trying to establish another team this year and putting all those pieces together. But that trust factor, I think in having that in me and me in them goes a long way to the reason why I think we have so many people here."

Jordan Smith makes his return to the practice field

One noticeable return to the practice field on Monday came from former fourth-round pick Jordan Smith, who Jacksonvilled traded up to select in 2021. Smith didn't play much as a rookie and then sustained a knee injury during the 2022 offseason, causing him to miss his entire sophomore season and be placed on the shelf as a question mark. 

Smith was back on the field and taking key reps with the outside linebacker group on Monday, though, marking a return that could factor into the Jaguars' plans at pass-rusher following OTAs. Donning a brace on his right knee, Smith practiced in a full capacity on Monday and will have a chance to crack the roster considering the Jaguars have not -- and may not -- made a move to add a pass-rusher. 

"Well, I mean listen, we're always trying to improve, whether it's schematically or positionally or personnel, we're always looking and it's something that we'll take a look at, but every roster is pretty much set at this stage of the game," Pederson said on Monday when asked about a potential addition.

"So it'd have to be something that would have to be pretty enticing I think to bring somebody onto your roster, which means you'd have to let somebody go. And so that's a hard thing to do."

Brenton Strange's versatility could be what helps him find the field in 2023

It is hard to envision many snaps for Brenton Strange as a rookie on paper, largely because the Jaguars are already set to devote plenty of snaps to Evan Engram, Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones. But if there is one way Strange could find his way onto the field as a rookie, it could be as a versatile blocker as opposed to as a pass-catcher.

We can't give much away on how Strange was deployed and what it seems like the Jaguars' plans are for him, but rest assured that it appears he has the versatility to be used around the formation, something that their backup tight ends didn't have last season.

"I think that's the biggest thing is the versatility. We have guys already that are kind of like that Luke, Luke Farrell is that Y/F type role. He can play on the ball, play off the ball, do different things. Evan's kind of always been that way. I think Evan really showed a lot of growth as an inline blocker last year and we used him in different ways to do that. And I think Brenton, that's kind of what he did in college," Taylor said on Monday. 

"He played off the ball, he was able to insert through the line. He was able to block on the edge. He was able to align on the perimeter and do a number of different things that we feel like fits what we already do. So it's not taking this square peg and fitting it round hole here. It's somebody that has familiarity in the types of things we're going to ask him to do."