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Calvin Ridley has played five games in the last two NFL seasons, missing all of 2022 due to suspension. At several points during his absence, the former Falcons star was admittedly "a shell" of himself, desiring only to be at home with his family. But the 28-year-old Ridley has already set a high bar for his anticipated return. Days after his official reinstatement, the wide receiver penned an expansive letter on The Players' Tribune, promising a dominant debut with the Jaguars in 2023.

"Right now, I feel stronger than I've ever felt -- mentally and physically," Ridley wrote. "On the field, I'm flying. Believe me, I'm flying. That GPS band don't lie. On my daughter's name, if I'm healthy? With Trevor Lawrence? I'm giving Jacksonville 1,400 yards a season, period."

Football took a back seat to personal issues for much of the last two years, Ridley explained in his open letter. Unbeknownst to most, he apparently played his 2020 All-Pro season on a broken foot due to an initial misdiagnosis. A year later, pressure to deliver as the Falcons' No. 1 wide receiver after Julio Jones' departure, coupled with lingering injuries and personal depression, prompted him to step away from the team after five games. He was later suspended indefinitely for gambling on NFL games -- "I was looking for anything to take my mind off of things and make the day go by faster," he wrote.

But now, he continues, fans shouldn't be worried about his commitment to the NFL.

"I know I have a debt to pay back to the game," he said. "But when y'all talk about the name Calvin Ridley in 10, 20, 30 years ... I'm gonna make sure it rings out for the right reasons."

Ridley figures to open 2023 as the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver opposite Christian Kirk. Jacksonville acquired the five-year veteran last November, at the in-season trade deadline, in exchange for a pair of conditional draft picks.