The Tennessee Titans' offseason has been one of the best and most memorable in recent memories. While saying goodbye to Derrick Henry was difficult, the Titans not only moved into a new era, but did so with a bang.
Several offseason additions will allow this team to be far more competitive and help Will Levis develop at a sufficient pace. Maybe no other offseason move was more important for Levis than adding a guy like Calvin Ridley in free agency.
Though Ridley is a talented wideout, though, there are plenty who didn't necessarily like the move.
In a recent piece published by Bleacher Report, Christopher Knox identified his top 10 worst offseason moves across the NFL. In it, he included the Titans' signing of Ridley.
Knox wrote:
"Ridley is now the league's 10th-highest-paid receiver in terms of annual value. Considering he'll turn 30 in December and has only two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, It's very hard to envision a scenario in which Tennessee gets an adequate return on its investment.
Yes, Ridley was probably the top receiver to actually reach the open market, but Tennessee overpaid, plain and simple. The Titans are quite likely to regret making that move in a year that featured a talented and deep rookie receiver class."
Not signing Calvin Ridley and drafting a WR instead was just also a risk for Tennessee, specifically
Had Tennessee taken Knox's thoughts into consideration and went with a first-round wide receiver rather than signing Ridley, they may have also been taking a risk. Now, at pick no. 7, the Titans could have selected Rome Odunze who ended up falling to the Bears at no. 9. Odunze may have been the best wide receiver in several of the previous dozen draft classes, but this year came in at no. 3 right behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers.
Still, drafting a first-round wide receiver is not a novel idea for Titans fans. Think Corey Davis and Treylon Burks.
At least, Burks is receiving a lot of praise this offseason and has the chance to break loose in Year 3. That would put a lot of Titans fans at ease. But, Tennessee opted to go with a veteran who has at least shown the ability to make big plays at the NFL level.
Ridley was a risk, sure. He was paid a large sum of money. Yes, this is true. However, the Titans didn't necessarily bank on Ridley being the top and only option. This offense still has DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo.
Free agent signings and draft picks either work out, or they don't. In this league, you see a good amount of instances where the unexpected outcome happens in the end. So, in this case, let's hope Ridley ends up helping this team in a significant manner, rather than becoming a disappointment and overpay.