The Tennessee Titans thought that the connection between Calvin Ridley and Cam Ward would be the driving force of this offense, but it has been the single most disappointing aspect of the team.
No matter what you thought of the team's offensive line, the running game, the pass rush, or the coaching, the one thing that every Titans fan thought they could count on was Ridley and Ward combining for some explosive plays. Ward has been doing his part, but Ridley has consistently strugled with focus drops through three weeks.
According to Next Gen Stats, Calvin Ridley is the third-worst receiver in the NFL in terms of catch rate (minimum of 15 targets), and he leads the NFL in drops with four.
Titans must consider limiting Calvin Ridley's role in the offense if his struggles persist
Ridley's struggles are becoming a serious pattern. The Titans don't have the luxury of being able to sit back and take their time on making a decision regarding his role in the offense.
While most analysts consider Brian Callahan a lame-duck head coach at this point, he is still fighting for his job in Nashville. So results matter to some people on this roster, and Ridley is killing more drives than he is keeping alive. Considering the strong rookie class, it might be time to make a change on the depth chart.
So far this season, Ridley has played 90% of the passing snaps (116 of 129). Until Ridley can prove to be more consistent, the Titans need to consider giving some of his snaps to two rookies.
The first player who should benefit is obvious: Chimere Dike. The team has been manufacturing touches for him, but he has only been on the field for 31% of the passing snaps. Considering that Dike can play Z and in the slot, he would be an ideal replacement for Ridley on some passing downs, with Tyler Lockett getting snaps in the slot.
In other situations, those snaps should indirectly go to Gunnar Helm. The Titans use the fewest two tight end sets in the NFL, but you could argue that both tight ends have been more consistent and more explosive than Ridley. The Titans could use Ridley's play as an opportunity to lean into more two tight end sets to feature their other weapons and to create mismatches.
No matter how they do it, the Titans need to get Ridley back on track, and they need to find a way to keep drives alive. They tried to get there by force-feeding him more targets, but it has only led to disappointment, so maybe the answer is a smaller role until he finds himself again.