While the Tennessee Titans have been impressed with the rookie receivers on the team, rookie quarterback Cam Ward's recent quotes about Calvin Ridley make it very clear who the top dog is in that room.
Training camp starts in a few weeks and the Titans' wide receivers are going to battle it out to see which combination gives them the best chance to succeed. Ridley will be there to watch and guide them because he knows that the better they are, the more opportunities he'll have to dominate.
During a recent workout in Miami, Ward offered his glowing review of Ridley. (The video below starts with that quote).
"That boy [Ridley] there different. Now I see what a receiver was supposed to be like. That's why I'm glad Elic (Ayomanor), Chim (Chimere Dike), Strep (Xavier Restrepo), Bryce (Oliver), all the guys in our room. I'm glad they got him because I ain't never threw to no receiver like him. Move like him, can cut like him, and that boy he ain't selfish either. He wants the rookies, all of us, he wants us to do better than him because he is going to end up getting his one-on-ones."
It didn't take long for Ward to see that Ridley was different. Not just different from anyone in the Titans locker room, but different from anyone he has ever played with. So much so that he had to change his idea of what a wide receiver could be capable of.
Ridley has shared similar sentiments this offseason.
Knowing what we know about Ward, you can expect him to lean on that ability and experience throughout the season. He is going to trust Ridley to be where he is supposed to be, and he is going to give him every opportunity to shine because he believes that Ridley's success is his success.
If Restrepo makes the 53-man roster, he will be anointed as Ward's safety blanket before ever playing a game because of what the two did together in college. However, don't be surprised if Ridley gets an absurd market share of the targets in this offense based on the connection that the two have started to establish early in Ward's career.