Atlanta Falcons: 3 Players who need to step up in 2020
3. Calvin Ridley
For the past handful of seasons, Atlanta has consisted of a potent receiving group led by Pro Bowl star Julio Jones on the outside of the field. For at least the last two years, wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been a big reason for that uptick in talent to counter the talent on Jones in the passing game.
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Ridley, however, is going to have to step up and be more consistent in his third season in the NFL and with the Falcons in 2020 in order to help Atlanta continue its dominance while establishing one of the top offenses in the entire league.
Since he broke into the league as a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Ridley has jumped right into things as a professional while immediately helping boost the Falcons passing game in the early stages of his career.
In his first two seasons, Ridley has appeared in a total of 29 games while averaging 63.5 catches, 8.5 touchdowns and 843.5 receiving yards entering the 2020 campaign. Specifically in the 2019 season, the 25-year-old finished with 63 catches for 866 yards and seven touchdowns in a total of 13 games.
Ridley still put together a solid season as a No. 2 option in the passing game in Atlanta but took somewhat of a minor step back in his sophomore season last year. This year, he is going to have to step up and be far more consistent on the other side of the field to counter Jones within the receiving group to take another step in the right direction in the early stages of his NFL career.