Chicago Bears rookie WR Riley Ridley made his preseason debut Friday against the New York Giants, and while his box score didn’t move the needle much, his on-field performance earned high marks.
Ridley played 28 snaps, 21 of which came on passing downs. According to Pro Football Focus, Ridley was effective in the eight running plays he was involved in. His run-blocking grade of 79.2 was the best of any player on Chicago’s offense.
Overall, PFF gave Ridley a 64.6 grade, the sixth-best on offense.
Ridley ended the game with three catches for 19 yards but looked smooth and effortless in his routes. As he gets more acclimated with NFL speed, he should only become more effective.
The Bears have a deep and talented receiver corps led by Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel. Javon Wims has played himself firmly into the WR4 role, with Ridley the most likely candidate to man the fifth spot on the active roster.
Ridley joined Chicago as a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft after playing his college ball at Georgia. He wasn’t a supremely productive receiver as a Bulldog, largely because of the number of talented offensive weapons they fielded throughout his time there.
He ended 2018 with 43 catches for 559 yards and nine touchdowns.
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