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The Titans veteran receiver wasn’t targeted once in the loss to New York, and now a 5-figure fine adds insult to an already ugly opener.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes a catch Aug 4, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; during training camp at Vanderbilt Health Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley had a Week 1 performance against the New York Jets that most would prefer to forget.
No targets. No catches. Nothing on the stat sheet for a player who is supposed to be a starting receiver on this team. Now that nothing day has gotten even uglier, with the league handing Ridley a $12,537 fine for unnecessary roughness in the first quarter.
If you’re asking yourself what play that fine is even referencing, you’re not alone! It’s a play that didn’t stick out on tape, didn’t generate any attention in the moment, and yet clearly caught the league’s eye enough to warrant a five-figure punishment.
Ridley’s rough start to Year 3 in Tennessee
Ridley has been one of the best practice players in the entire league for as long as anyone covering the Titans has watched him. His traits stick out like a sore thumb in shorts and even in pads during practice.
But when it comes to the games, it’s been hit or miss throughout his time in Tennessee.
His first season with the Titans, largely alongside quarterback Will Levis, Ridley was one of the team’s biggest contributors and eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. Last season with Cam Ward under center, he started just a couple of games before a soft tissue injury and ultimately a leg fracture knocked him out for the year. He took a reduced salary this offseason to stick around, adjusting his contract to remain in Nashville for a third season. The expectation was that a healthy Ridley would provide veteran stability to a young receiver room.
That didn’t happen in Week 1. While fellow starters Wan’Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate each drew six targets and combined for nine catches, Ridley was as invisible as it gets. Not a single target came his way despite being on the field for a significant portion of the game. The Titans as a whole were dreadful against the Jets, and plenty of individual players earned lowlight reels of their own.
A fine that adds insult to injury
The unnecessary roughness fine only compounds what was already a forgettable afternoon. It’s the kind of penalty that flies under the radar during a game nobody wants to rewatch, and yet the league office found it worthy of well over five figures. His nothing day has officially turned into a negative day, with a big fat fine waiting for him in his locker on Saturday.
The hope now is that Ridley and the Titans can bounce back in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tennessee needs a better day from its veteran receiver, both financially and in the win-loss column. Ridley’s track record suggests the talent is there when healthy. The question, as it has been for much of his Titans tenure, is whether the game-day production will match what everyone sees in practice.
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