Even without stepping onto the field for a regular season game, Tennessee Titans number one pick Cam Ward has already offered considerable praise to his veteran wideout Calvin Ridley.
This dates back to before Ward was picked up by the Titans, when he comically dubbed Ridley among his top five NFL receivers during a Fortnite stream in the weeks leading up to the draft, in one of the first certified hints that Tennessee would inevitably be selecting the Miami product as their next franchise quarterback.
Cam Ward on his Fortnite stream:
— CanesMuse (@canes_muse) April 16, 2025
“My top 4 running backs in the league right now? I would say… Tony Pollard, (Tyjae) Spears.”
“AJ Brown’s a dog but he’s no Calvin Ridley.”
Safe to say he’s a Titan. pic.twitter.com/nGDe1D7Fu9
Now, as we dive into Titans OTAs, confidence in the veteran wideout hasn't wavered for Tennessee's rookie, with Ward dishing out some new eye-catching comments surrounding Ridley and his standing amongst the NFL.
During his latest Titans practice, Ward stacked up Ridley as one of his top five receivers in the NFL, and perhaps even deserving of looks as the best talent in the league.
"He’s one of the top five receivers [in the game], if not the best." Ward said of Ridley.
Cam Ward on Calvin Ridley: “He’s one of the top five receivers (in the game), if not the best.” pic.twitter.com/Ddo5w5xoua
— Ben Arthur (@benyarthur) June 3, 2025
When asking amongst most of the NFL world, it'd be difficult to find a ton of advocates clamoring for Ridley's name to be put into top-five consideration, but that hasn't changed Ward's perception of his presumed favorite number-one target.
During Ridley's last season in the mix for Tennessee, he started in 14 games to log 64 catches, 1,017 receiving yards, and four touchdowns as a bright spot within a relatively brutal offense from the season's start to finish. Now, maybe with a fresh quarterback upgrade, the pieces are in the right places for the 30-year-old to prove himself amongst the NFL's elite and back up Ward's talk.
Sure, it's easy to say that Ridley will reach the levels of Ja'Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson this coming season, and odds are, it's far from the most likely possibility. But in the eyes of Ward, the pairing could certainly be in place to make that jump happen.
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