Calvin Ridley out for the rest of the season for the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, confirms that he is out for the remainder of the season due to an injury sustained in the Falcons victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Calvin Ridley’s injury is another setback that has been a season filled with turmoil. Ridley caught all five of Matt Ryan‘s passes for 76 yards and a score during the Falcons 40-20 win over Carolina.

Calvin Ridley has excelled in his improved role as the number two receiver for the Falcons after the team dealt away Mohamed Sanu.

Ridley was on pace to finally have over 1000 yards on the season and his 17 touchdowns during his first two seasons are more than that of former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr’s 25 scores from 2014 to 2015.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B53Jj5AlCUh/?utm_source=ig_embed

Ridley’s injury opens up more chances for the young receivers on the Atlanta Falcons. Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Christian Blake and Justin Hardy – who is ultimately fighting to stay on the team in general.

Russell Gage and Christian Blake have impressed a lot of people by essentially growing into the third and fourth receivers on the team. How these two guys perform will ultimately be the deciding fate over Justin Hardy’s Falcons career.

Zaccheaus has already embedded himself in Atlanta Falcon’s lore as he has Matt Ryan’s longest touchdown pass in his career with a 93-yard strike.

The Atlanta Falcons also lost another key player on defense. Starting cornerback Desmond Trufant was revealed to have broken his forearm during the game on Sunday and that he would have season-ending surgery. Would that be the final time Trufant plays in an Atlanta Falcons uniform? While he still has the ability to play, the Falcons are in a huge cap hole.

With Calvin Ridley and Trufant now being out for the season, this begs the question as to if the Atlanta Falcons should keep playing Julio Jones and other key players who have been injured over the course of the season.