The Tennessee Titans are performing about as well as anyone could have expected. With a record of 1-5, their sole victory came courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals, who essentially gift-wrapped the win for them.
This rough start to the season culminated in a significant change this week: the firing of head coach Brian Callahan following a heavy defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders. In his place, the Titans have named Mike McCoy as the interim head coach. McCoy’s mission is clear—right the ship and get quarterback Cam Ward playing at an MVP level or close to it.
However, McCoy faces a tough challenge ahead, as the Titans will have to navigate these changes without wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Ridley has been ruled out for this week’s game against the New England Patriots due to a hamstring injury. While this news is disappointing, the silver lining for the Titans might be that they were unlikely to win this game regardless.
### What’s Behind Calvin Ridley?
The real concern isn’t just that the Titans will be without Ridley this Sunday, but what their receiving corps looks like beyond him — which, frankly, is almost nonexistent.
After ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Ridley’s status, his colleague Field Yates provided a look at the Titans’ WR depth chart: Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson, and Tyler Lockett.
Tyler Lockett, a recent free-agent acquisition, has recorded eight catches for 52 yards and no touchdowns so far this season. While he was never expected to be a superstar, these numbers are underwhelming for a veteran after six games.
Similarly, Van Jefferson has been only marginally better, with eight catches for 99 yards in the same time frame.
Despite Ridley’s underwhelming performance—he’s been a disappointment for a team that desperately needs him to step up—his absence will still be deeply felt. Sports Illustrated’s Jordon Lawrenz highlights a stark reality: “Even with his disappointing season, Ridley accounts for over 26% of this team’s receiving yards. His 290 yards lead the way, even though he’s only hauled in 16 of 35 targets. Elic Ayomanor’s 34 targets rank second, while Okonkwo is third at 30. Beyond those three, no one has more than 19 targets.”
### Can Mike McCoy Help Cam Ward?
As interim head coach, McCoy’s primary responsibility is to nurture Cam Ward into the player he was projected to be when the Titans drafted him first overall in this year’s NFL Draft.
Ward’s performance hasn’t been terrible considering the minimal support he’s had on offense and defense, but improvement is imperative. He understands his role, embraces the coaching change, and realizes he’ll need to operate without reliable wide receiver help—Ridley or not.
“My job is to play quarterback, and my job is to help lead this team to wins,” Ward said. “I am going to support whatever decision we make as an organization, and the guys in the locker room are going to support it. At the end of the day, with coach or without coach, we are trying to win football games and that is the same message coach Mike is preaching. We just have to live by it and stay true to it.”
With Ridley sidelined, rookie Elic Ayomanor becomes Ward’s best option, which underscores the Titans’ precarious position heading into this critical stretch of the season.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/tennessee-titans/mike-mccoy-calvin-ridley-cam-ward/
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