Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley practicing after suffering a toe injury
The Jacksonville Jaguars' offense is set to explode in 2023, thanks in large part to #1 WR Calvin Ridley. Looking flat-out uncoverable for much of camp, he looks to be part of one of the most intriguing WR-QB combinations this fall with Trevor Lawrence. That is, unless injury derails those plans. And yes, that became […]
The Jacksonville Jaguars' offense is set to explode in 2023, thanks in large part to #1 WR Calvin Ridley. Looking flat-out uncoverable for much of camp, he looks to be part of one of the most intriguing WR-QB combinations this fall with Trevor Lawrence.
That is, unless injury derails those plans. And yes, that became a concern on Wednesday morning in Jacksonville.
Head coach Doug Pederson advised the media that Ridley is dealing with a toe injury.
It's not clear exactly when Ridley incurred the injury or what the nature and extent of it is, but you never want to hear about your star offensive player already suffering some type of ailment before the preseason even gets underway. Toe injuries can also be very debilitating and limiting for wide receivers, who must cut and press hard to run crisp routes and break away from defenders.
However, at a time where teams are extremely conservative and cautious about shielding players from injuries, Ridley was back on the practice field on Wednesday. And he wasn't just out there. He was cutting and running pretty close to full speed, if not all the way there.
Ridley has been a tough player known to not just play through pain, but to excel while doing it. In 2020, Ridley fought through a broken foot for a large part of the season while turning in a second-team All-Pro performance with 90 catches for 1374 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Thus, Ridley knows his limits as far as what he can play on and can't. The Jaguars also assuredly would be cautious with him if there was a genuine concern of any potential for a more serious injury from practicing with his current condition.
As such, while scary, it appears that Jaguars fans can exhale regarding their star wide receiver being in serious jeopardy of missing time.
UPDATE: multiple reports have since confirmed with the team that the toe soreness was a result of the fit of his shoe, and that they have been changed as a result.
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Featured image via Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
