Jaguars' Doug Pederson on Calvin Ridley: 'I've Been Impressed With Him'

The veteran wide receiver has been turning heads early on during the offseason program.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has left more than a few people impressed during the early stages of his Jaguars tenure. 

Ridley has spent the offseason program becoming ingrained into Jacksonville's offensive scheme and culture, turning heads in practices and workouts as the former Pro Bowler and first-round pick and Alabama star has shown everyone why he was a No. 1 receiver with the Atlanta Falcons.

"I've been impressed with him," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday before the Jaguars kicked off their first voluntary organized team activity. 

"He's been here, he's been focused, engaged, doing the things we asked him to do. And again, it is just being on the same page with Trevor, he's done a great job in the classroom, being able to take that out to the field and the work he's getting done and we just want to see that continue and just continue to develop. We're not game planning or scheming or all that. We're just continuing to install and he's done a nice job handling all the information."

The Jaguars traded a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick for Ridley at last year's trade deadline. The conditional pick could become a third-rounder if Ridley reaches certain incentives in 2023, or it could become a second-rounder if he's signed to a long-term deal.

Ridley, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, caught 217 passes for 3,061 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He played in five games in 2021 before stepping away from the team, catching 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

So far, any outside questions of potential rust for Ridley, who last played in 2021, have been answered. The veteran receiver has been a standout player since entering the building, quickly earning praise from Pederson's staff and his teammates. 

"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."