Matt Ryan has been working individually with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and others amid shutdown of team facilities
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been unable to officially meet with any members of his offense since the coronavirus outbreak, but through individual workouts with wide receivers, Ryan is pleased with the progress through individual 1-on-1 workouts between himself and his top pass catchers.
Ryan already has a strong connection with his top two targets, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, but it's only growing stronger, especially with Ridley. Entering his third NFL season, Ridley has progressed tremendously through his first two years in the league and could be due for a very big season this fall.
"Calvin has been working extremely hard," Ryan said. "He looks great, and he's been putting in a ton of extra time this offseason. We spend a ton of time together."
Ridley posted 63 receptions with 866 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season but that production came in only 13 games. He missed the final three weeks because of an abdominal injury.
Jones battled injuries last season too, but Ryan revealed Tuesday that the the two-time All Pro "has been awesome" this offseason and "looks in great shape." Jones posted 99 catches, 1,394 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 15 games last season.
Jones and Ridley both have All-Pro potential, but the key to the Falcons reaching another level in their passing attack and replacing the departed tight end Austin Hooper may be third wideout Russell Gage. After trading Mohamed Sanu last season, Gage receiving more playing time, and he could see even more targets now with no Hooper.
"(Gage) is a guy that I think feels a lot more comfortable after having played the second half of last season. I feel like he's in a spot where he knows his role and how we're going to use him and is in a good space mentally to be productive in that spot."
Gage posted 49 catches for 446 yards and a score with a vast majority of that production (45 receptions and 402 yards) coming after the Sanu trade.
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