After Mohamed Sanu was traded to the New England Patriots, all eyes turned to Calvin Ridley as to who will step in as Atlanta's No. 2 wide receiver.
"We felt like it was worth it at this time to do that," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of the trade. "We've certainly pushed (Calvin) and he's ready to take on the bigger role."
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The Falcons drafted Ridley with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In his first season, Ridley set a franchise record for most touchdowns as a rookie with 10. He caught 64 passes on 92 targets for 821 yards.
Through seven games this season, Ridley has been targeted 42 times and has caught 29 passes for 373 yards.
That number should increase throughout the season.
As for if Ridley's increased role means more targets or being moved around to different positions, Quinn said both can be expected.
"Sometimes there wasn't always three-receiver packages for us," Quinn said. "There were two-receiver packages. Adding him to all the groups will be an addition for him. Obviously, he played some of them but wasn't always the featured part of that. That's why Cal was here, to have those moments. It's that time for him to get even more opportunities and we're certainly counting on him to do that."
Sanu was often used in the slot and was one of the Falcons' most reliable weapons on third down.
Quinn said the Falcons will replace Sanu's production in these particular areas by committee. Ridley, Julio Jones and Russell Gage are all capable of being moved around and playing inside.
