Atlanta Falcons’ Ridley grabs hamstring at practice

Not many Atlanta Falcons have the expectations that second year receiver Calvin Ridley does in 2019.

How do you follow up a rookie year in which you caught 10 touchdowns? That is the question that many want Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley to answer. The expectations are lofty and may not be reachable for the second year pro out of Alabama.

Many at Flowery Branch this morning however held their breath as Ridley grabbed his hamstring after running a slant route in the first part of the morning practice.

So far in camp, the Falcons have lost safety J.J. Wilcox, who had a really good off season and was expected to provide much needed depth in the defensive backfield as well as reserve defensive tackle Michael Bennett who was a long shot to make the final roster.

Ridley going down with an injury would have been really bad news for Matt Ryan and new (old) offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

The good news is that Dan Quinn told media post practice that Ridley’s hamstring is just tight and with an off day scheduled for tomorrow, he is not expected to miss any practice time.

Presumably, Ridley will be a large part of the offense in 2019. His skillset is a great compliment to both the run game as well as Julio Jones. What Ridley has to do in 2019 is prove he can be more consistent. Yes, his 64 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns was great, but he was highly inconsistent weeks four through 14 and having him healthy and getting reps is the best way for him to becoming more consistent.