The Tennessee Titans’ offense has struggled in the passing game through their first five games. Between poor decision-making and turnovers, QB Will Levis has regressed and shown no signs of development. He’s been bad.
It’s incredibly frustrating for the fans, and the players are also starting to point it out. After his worst game with the Titans, WR Calvin Ridley spoke out on the ineptitude and he may have a point. Deep passes to Ridley have been a disaster, and the risk isn’t worth the reward.
The nine catches for 141 yards and one touchdown is nowhere near the production the Titans envisioned when they signed him to a four-year, $92 million contract during free agency. But that may not all be on Levis or Ridley.
In hopes of unlocking Ridley’s potential, #Titans may try the short route to success with their long-ball receiver:https://t.co/HdNE1iZw9n@NashvillePost
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) October 18, 2024
To this point in 2024, Ridley has been used to stretch the field vertically with his speed, and in this case the statistics tell the story. Ridley’s has the second-highest depth of target in the league in 2024 according to PFF, averaging 20.3 yards. With his dynamic ability, the idea is great in theory if it works, but it hasn’t and the staff must adjust.
The Titans’ coaching staff continues to talk about getting Ridley involved, yet they have not changed their approach. With teams across the league taking away the deep ball at a higher rate than ever with their coverage strategies, head coach Brian Callahan and offensive coordinator Nick Holz must find a way to utilize Ridley’s playmaking ability closer to the line of scrimmage.
Screens, crossing routes and setting up double moves should be the approach with teams prepared to take away the deep ball and it sounds like that will be the way the Titans build their game plan moving forward.
“We sat down and said, `OK, there’s some screens, some reverses, some quick game, stuff like that,” Holz recently said, “Where number one, it goes to [Ridley], and [the defense] really has to, they have to take it away.”
Titans’ fans hope that this change in philosophy starts this week against Buffalo and Ridley can be the weapon everyone expected. The Titans face the Bills Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.