Who Should I Start? Calvin Ridley or Mecole Hardman

Saturday, June 21, 1:32 PM

TennesseeTitans.com's Jim Wyatt writes that Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley looks really bought in in his second season with the team. Wyatt says that Ridley looks more eager to work and embrace quarterback Cam Ward and the other rookies around him. In addition, he should benefit from having more skilled players around him in 2025. The 30-year-old wideout had his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2024 and the third in his career, but he went from eight touchdowns in 2023 with Jacksonville to only four in Tennessee. There might be a little more competition for targets this year, but Ridley is still the unquestioned WR1, and he could benefit from Ward being under center instead of Will Levis. Ridley has a safe floor as a WR3/flex, but how successful he is in 2025 will ultimately come down to how consistent Ward can be in his rookie season.

Tuesday, March 18, 9:06 PM

Free-agent wide receiver/return specialist Mecole Hardman (knee) is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hardman will take his speed to the Packers while contributing both on offense and special teams as a kick returner. The 27-year-old former second-rounder (56th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 out of the University of Georgia caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns while carrying the ball five times for 62 yards and a touchdown in 12 regular-season games before suffering a knee injury in December that landed him on Injured Reserve. The Packers could use the receiver depth with Christian Watson (knee) likely to miss around half of the 2025 season, but Hardman could struggle for consistent involvement in Green Bay's offense, much like he did in KC, behind Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.