What will WR Calvin Ridley mean for the Titans’ offense?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The addition of former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley gives the Tennessee Titans a much-needed offensive playmaker. It also allows them to sign a key playmaker from their AFC South rival.

New Titans coach Brian Callahan and general manager Ran Carthon have made additional efforts to revamp and modernize the offense. That's why they added Ridley, ESPN's top-ranked free agent receiver in the week.

First-time offense is clearly a thing of the past. This style of offense disappeared when Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry joined the Baltimore Ravens via free agency. Tennessee will still want to run the ball in certain situations, which is why they signed former Dallas Cowboys fullback Tony Pollard, whose 1,005 rushing yards ranked 12th last season. But Callahan has his sights set on excelling in the passing game.

“The teams that win the most games are usually the ones that pass the ball the best,” Callahan said during his introductory press conference. “Usually because they have really good quarterbacks, and usually because they have guys who can play the football on the outside.”

Second-year quarterback Will Levis, whom the Titans traded in the second round, likes to push the ball down the field, as evidenced by his league-best average of 10.3 air yards per attempt.

This is where Ridley thinks the Titans will benefit the most. Ridley gives the Titans a legitimate threat from the outside.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ridley's 768 receiving yards on the perimeter ranked fifth in the NFL in passes thrown outside the numbers. Last season, the Titans had the fifth-fewest receiving yards on passes thrown outside the numbers — only the Jets, Patriots, Cardinals and Broncos had fewer.

Ridley pairs with DeAndre Hopkins, and the two would give the Titans their first pair of receivers to start a season after finishing the previous one with 1,000 or more yards since Derrick Mason (1,168) and Drew Bennett (1,247) in 2004 Hopkins' 1,057 last season was just the 11th time a Titans receiver finished with 1,000 or more yards and the first time since AJ Brown did so in 2020.

Signing Ridley came at a cost. But the Titans had enough resources to confidently make the decision to pay him $92 million over four years, with $50 million guaranteed. The Titans took a close look at Ridley last season as he had two of his four 100-yard receiving games against them. New offensive coordinator Nick Holz got a better perspective of Ridley last season as Jacksonville's passing game coordinator.

Titans assistant general manager Anthony Robinson was part of the Atlanta Falcons personnel department that scouted Ridley out of Alabama and selected him with the No. 26 pick in the 2018 draft.

Although Ridley's signing is the highlight of free agency for the Titans, his contribution will be impacted by the free agent addition of former Denver Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry, the top free agent center ranked from ESPN.

Strengthening the offensive line is essential for a team like the Titans, as they had two of the most sacked quarterbacks by dropback last season. Ryan Tannehill was sacked on 12 percent of his dropbacks, the most in the NFL, and Levis tied fellow rookie Bryce Young for third with 10 percent.

Pollard should help in the passing game with second-year point guard Tyjae Spears. This backfield tandem will allow Callahan to increase passing plays regardless of the running back, unlike in the past when Henry split with Spears. Both Pollard and Spears will be options in the underneath passing game when defenses focus on stopping deep throws.

Collectively, the Titans have positioned themselves to be a much better passing attack than last year's team that finished 29th in the NFL with just 180.4 passing yards per game, and they will continue to fill the gaps and the depth of free agency and the April draft. , where they hold the No. 7 pick.