AFC Notes: Josh Downs, Calvin Ridley, Colts, Jaguars, Titans

Colts

  • Colts HC Shane Steichen said that the groin injury suffered by WR Josh Downs is not considered serious and he will soon return to practice. (Holder)
  • Colts QB Anthony Richardson Sr. on his performance in training camp: “Sometimes I don’t throw the best ball, but I feel like my decision-making is pretty good so far in camp…It’s not my best camp…It’s not my worst camp. I’m just trying to keep progressing.” (Boyd)

Jaguars

Jaguars WR CJ Williams has been making an impact throughout the team’s offseason program. Jacksonville HC Liam Coen said Williams hasn’t required a lot of coaching and always seems to be in the “right place at the right time.”

“I mean, he gets it,” Coen said, via JaguarsWire. “You don’t have to tell him much, honestly. Like, there’s not a ton of coaching points for CJ on a day-to-day basis. It’s just about getting him some of those opportunities and physically being able to do everything right. I think the quarterbacks innately trust him, being at the right time, at the right spot at the right time, and he’s going to typically catch the football, right? So, he’s another guy that he’s been able to pick up the offense very quickly, and excited to see if he can help us out this year.”

Trevor Lawrence said he’s been impressed by how quickly the rookie receiver has picked up their system. 

He’s a good example of a guy that just knows what to do, always in the right spot because he studies so hard,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been really impressed as a rookie with how he’s come in and really gotten the playbook down pretty quickly. I haven’t seen him make too many mistakes and running the wrong route or blocking the wrong guy and he knows what he’s doing and he studies. So, then I think that’s letting his talent show because he’s in the right spot and he has the opportunity to make the plays. So, he’s just got to keep getting better every day. I like what I see from him. I mean, he’s a really good player, and he can definitely help us.”

Titans

Titans WR Calvin Ridley has not had the experience in Tennessee that he or the team hoped for when he signed a big free-agent deal ahead of the 2024 season. The Titans stunk and earned the No. 1 pick in his first year. They were bad again last year, too, but Ridley was hurt and watching from the sideline for most of the season. He was a cut candidate this offseason before agreeing to a pay cut to remain with the team because he thinks he has more to give. 

“If I stay healthy, I am going to be a good player on this team,” he said via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “I am going to contribute on this team.”

The 31-year-old Ridley is easily the graybeard in a young receiver room that goes deep. Tennessee drafted first-round WR Carnell Tate to join 2025 rookies Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. They also signed 25-year-old WR Wan’Dale Robinson.

“This is one of the deepest rooms I’ve been in — three, four, five, six, seven guys I think, it’s really deep,” Ridley said. “If we do what we have to do, get on the same page as our quarterback, we could push.”

Ridley added the main motivation for him isn’t rebounding to become a 1,000-yard receiver again, but being a part of the Titans getting out of the NFL’s basement. 

“I just want to win,” he said. “I just want to be a good help to the team, to my teammates in the room, to the young guys and encourage them. And just win. If we win games, that will be the best thing for me. I don’t really care about individual success as long as we win.”

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