Jaguars vs. Colts: Calvin Ridley's NFL return, other plotlines to watch in Week 1

The Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the season. On Friday, head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media and said he feels good heading into the game.

"We still got another today, tomorrow, review", Pederson said. But I feel like the guys have had a good week of preparation. It's the first time that the starters have gotten the bulk of the work this week and you practice the guys that you think are going to be the ones in the game, and I got a good week."

Later, Pederson said he felt like players were calm ahead of the opener. This is not surprising when you take into account that the Jags built on last year's success throughout the offseason. Now, they'll have the chance to see their work pay off. With this in mind, here are five subplots to watch when the Jags take the field Sunday.

5. Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley's return to the field after a 1+ year absence

Calvin Ridley became one of the top receivers in the NFL early in his career, catching 217 passes for 3,061 yards with 26 touchdowns from 2018-2020. However, he hung up the cleats five games into the 2021 season because he wasn't in good mental and physical shape.

While Ridley was retired, he bet on football games and received an indefinite suspension that forced him to miss the 2022 season. He was traded to the Jags last November and was reinstated this past March. Since then, Ridley has been doing nothing but working on reclaiming his spot as one of the top wideouts in the league.

All signs point toward him being the same player he was with the Atlanta Falcons. Against Indy, he'll have a chance to prove he's not rusty.