Calvin Ridley is checking every box for the Tennessee Titans in OTAs

When the Tennessee Titans signed Calvin Ridley, this fan base was reenergized in a way that they hadn't been in several years.

Stealing the top receiver from an AFC South rival while also messing up the cornerstone of their offseason plans was exhilarating, but free agency is never that simple. No matter who it is, any time that a free agent signs a big deal with a new team, there will always be some concern that the new team is making a mistake.

So when the Titans signed Ridley, fans were thrilled that they were getting the perfect "Z" receiver to pair with DeAndre Hopkins at "X" (and eventually Tyler Boyd in the slot), but seeing is believing with this franchise and fans needed to see him making plays.

Most media members have only been allowed to watch the two open practices during OTAs, but there is one person who has gotten to see every snap of the offseason: Jim Wyatt.

Since Wyatt works for the team he gets as much access as he wants, and while he generally keeps tight-lipped about what is going on behind closed doors, he was asked an interesting question in his most recent mailbag article.

When asked which one person was standing out during OTAs he said this,

"Hard to name one, Tracy, but I'll say Calvin Ridley. I've done OTA observations off the two open practices and I've led with him both times. A lot of guys have looked good, but Calvin has looked explosive off the line of scrimmage, and he's a smooth route runner. I'm seeing him up close and in person for the first time after watching from press boxes and on TV previously. He's going to be fun to watch this fall."

Not only has he made Ridley a priority in his summation of the two open OTAs, but he has made him a priority over first-round pick J.C. Latham who has been getting a lot of positive buzz so far this offseason.

If Ridley had two good days during the open practices, but wasn't doing everything he needed to when the other media wasn't around, I highly doubt that Jim Wyatt would have made it a point to highlight him in this mailbag.

Outside of getting positive feedback from the one person who has watched every practice, it doesn't take an expert to see why the Titans like him when you look at the clips circulating around social media.

Ridley quickly eats up space with his strides and acceleration, but he also can throttle down quickly and leave DBs in the lurch. It is clear to see how this can translate to Sundays this fall.

Keep in mind, this is during voluntary OTAs, Ridley doesn't have to be there (Jeffery Simmons, DeAndre Hopkins, and Harold Landry haven't been on the practice field) so the fact that he is there at all shows how committed he is to building chemistry with Will Levis.

So far you couldn't ask for more from Calvin Ridley and a big season from him would be huge for the Tennessee Titans short-term and long-term success.