Denver Broncos fans checking the Week 8 box scores for Calvin Ridley had to scroll a long way to find him. The Tennessee Titans receiver, whose name has surfaced in Broncos chatter ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, caught one pass for 10 yards on three targets in Sunday’s 43-36 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
That lowered his price. All three targets came in the first quarter, and Tennessee was playing without top rookie receiver Carnell Tate. Cam Ward still threw for 304 yards while barely looking Ridley’s way after the opening period. For a Denver front office shopping for value, a cheaper receiver is the one upside of a quiet afternoon in Cincinnati.
Calvin Ridley vanished after the first quarter
Ridley’s first target fell incomplete on third-and-6 from the Cincinnati 28. Late in the first quarter, he caught a 10-yarder to the Bengals’ 15 before linebacker Barrett Carter brought him down, and Ward threw his way again on the next snap for another incompletion. Ridley wasn’t targeted again through the final three quarters and overtime.
He ran 23 routes on 25 pass snaps and averaged 0.43 yards per route run, and his 38.3 offensive grade from PFF was the lowest of the seven Titans who caught a pass. It’s also his lowest grade of the season. Cornerback DJ Turner II, who finished with an 87.2 coverage grade, was on him for an incompletion PFF charged as a Ridley drop. Safety DJ Ivey covered his other two targets and allowed the lone catch.
Others filled the void left by Tate’s shoulder injury. Gunnar Helm had 76 yards on nine targets, and Chimere Dike and Wan’Dale Robinson each caught a touchdown pass. Ward had his first 300-yard game, going 26 of 40 with two touchdown passes, per the Titans.
A 2026 season that keeps shrinking
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Ridley has six catches for 91 yards on 13 targets in seven games, according to his ESPN game log. He sat out Week 7 against the Browns with a hip injury and was listed as questionable before Sunday.
His season average of 0.73 yards per route run is well under the 1.86 he posted in 2024, when he caught 64 passes for 1,017 yards. His 25 pass snaps against Cincinnati were one shy of his season high, so he’s on the field. The targets just go elsewhere.
What it means for a Broncos trade
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Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million deal in 2024 and took an $8.75 million pay cut in March, according to Spotrac. His 2026 base salary is $5.49 million, which leaves roughly $3 million for an acquiring team, and his $29.75 million cap hit for 2027 carries no guarantee. Denver has about $4.4 million in space, as we noted with Jonathan Taylor, so the money works.
Tennessee is open for business after trading Jeffery Simmons to the Bears, and Tom Pelissero reported this week that the Titans are more likely to move Ridley than running back Tony Pollard.
Sunday won’t start a bidding war for Ridley, and that suits Denver. Jaylen Waddle entered the Chiefs game questionable with a chest injury, and Bo Nix is averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. A veteran who can still win outside would give Sean Payton another option for a 5-2 team chasing the AFC West.
The price should reflect what Ridley is in 2026, a depth receiver who hasn’t topped 35 yards in a game this season. A late-round pick is fair. Anything more than that, and the folks around Dove Valley would be paying for the 2024 version who isn’t walking through the door.
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