Last season, in November, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley was sidelined due to a broken fibula while playing against the Houston Texans. The seven-year veteran could start only six games for the Titans and racked up 303 yards with zero touchdowns. Now, as he makes his way back to the Titans’ kickoff against the New York Jets, he’s back in the spotlight following a controversial take by Steve Smith Sr.

When ESPN’s Turron Davenport questioned Ridley about Smith’s take, the WR’s decision to acknowledge the criticism and move forward is exactly what’s earning Ridley praise.

“I kind of still do the same things I always did, you know, my little treatment plan I have for myself. Sometimes I, you know, add a little to it, take out some. It just depends on the day, honestly. I take a lot of pride in it, man. That’s okay, man. He’s a legend. I guess he can do that.”

In his podcast, 89 with Steve Smith and James Palmer, Steve Smith called out Calvin Ridley,

“My point is he’s a speed merchant, but not a route technician. Why I say he’s not a great route runner is it showed. I had a lot of film. I had a great opportunity to watch him when he became the guy in Jacksonville. Yep. When Christian Kirk went down, when Zay Jones went down, they started moving Calvin Ridley around, and they started to realize he can’t run every route on a route tree.”

Basically, Smith’s argument is that Ridley’s route running wasn’t consistent enough to justify a top-dollar deal. He further argued that Ridley struggled to prove he was reliable, get to the right depth, and create separation downfield, not just occasionally.

That inconsistency, in Smith’s view, is exactly why the Jacksonville Jaguars were willing to let him walk rather than pay premium money to keep him.

Smith might be too harsh on Ridley, but his stats partially support Smith’s claims on paper. Ridley had his best season in years with the Jaguars in 2023, hauling in 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns over 17 games. But when he joined the Titans, his production dipped noticeably.

In his first year with Tennessee, even though Ridley crossed the 1,000-yard mark for a second consecutive year, there was a dip in his TD output from 8 to 4. Then, his second year in Tennessee came with major issues.

Ridley struggled with dropped passes and a lack of chemistry with rookie quarterback Cam Ward. He posted zero touchdowns over 7 games before breaking his fibula in Week 11, which sidelined him for the rest of the year

However, Ridley still has a chance to redeem himself and is looking ahead to the season opener.

“I kind of still do the same things I always did, you know, my little treatment plan I have for myself,” Ridley said. “Sometimes I, you know, add a little to it, take out some. It just depends on the day, honestly.”

Ridley’s focus now shifts entirely to Sunday, where he’ll have the chance to let his route running speak louder than any podcast take ever could.