Doug Pederson: Jaguars have to try to get Calvin Ridley more involved

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley had one of the quietest games of his NFL career Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints when he finished with one reception for 5 yards and a rushing attempt that just got back to the line of scrimmage.

While that stat total doesn’t include an acrobatic grab on the sideline that sure looks like it should’ve counted as a 27-yard gain, it was still a game where four other players were targeted by Trevor Lawrence more often than Ridley.

On Friday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said the lack of targets for Ridley was a consequence of his role in that specific game plan, as well as double teams from the Saints defense.

“It was one of those games where we see Calvin as more of a deep threat,” Pederson said. “He is good in the short-to-intermediate areas as well. Last night, they rolled some coverage his way so they clouded some coverage, they inverted some coverage his way. They did a nice job of neutralizing Calvin.”

Still, Pederson doesn’t want to see the Jaguars continue to not get the ball in Ridley’s hands.

“We still have to try to get him involved and get him more opportunities to catch the football,” Pederson said. “You got to credit the defense sometimes too, they know when you have a weapon on offense and if they can neutralize it, advantage them. Credit to the Saints for doing that.

“Calvin is in a really good place, he’s a big part of the offense obviously. We’re going to continue to find ways to get him the ball.”

Ridley, 28, was acquired by the Jaguars during the 2022 season, but made his debut with the team this year after an indefinite suspension was lifted in March. In his first game with Jacksonville, the receiver racked up 92 receiving yards before halftime against the Indianapolis Colts.

In five of the six games since, Ridley has been held to 40 yards or fewer. The only exception was a 122-yard breakout performance in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills.