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Former Alabama WR Calvin Ridley trying his hand as a returner for the Atlanta Falcons
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Calvin Ridley returned zero kickoffs and a grand total of two punts during his three years at Alabama, but that doesn’t mean the first-round pick is lacking those skills.
In fact, now that he’s at the Atlanta Falcons’ rookie minicamp, he’s trying to show off those skills to his new coaching staff.
On Saturday, coach Dan Quinn said Ridley will continue to perform in various roles throughout the summer (via AJC.com):
“So, we got a chance to see him (do) a variety of things, and that will continue through the OTAs,” Quinn said.
“The first impression was that I recognized the competitor that he was because he wanted every rep. That’s a good thing. He wanted to go for it, but today we were trying to feature some of the guys that we wanted to take a look at. He didn’t get as many reps today and I know there was some disappointment on his end.”
Ridley was simply too valuable to return punts and kicks during his time at Alabama, where he had a disproportionate amount of receptions the past two years.
However, as a rookie, he will be, at best, the No. 2 option behind superstar Julio Jones. Therefore, getting the talented athlete more touches in the return game makes a lot of sense for the Falcons.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
