Stevan Ridley - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers Re-Sign RB Stevan Ridley

April 3rd, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Stevan Ridley has re-signed with the Steelers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran.

At this point, Ridley has an extensive collection of NFL jerseys. Over the course of seven NFL seasons, he has suited up for the Patriots, Jets, Falcons, and Steelers with stops in between with the Lions, Colts, Broncos, and Vikings.

Ridley is best known for his run with the Pats, which included a stellar 2012 season. In that campaign, he amassed more than 1,200 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down ever since.

The 29-year-old will duke it out with James Conner, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and James Summers for a spot behind star Le’Veon Bell in 2018.

Steelers Sign RB Stevan Ridley

December 19th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Stevan Ridley‘s jersey collection continues to grow. On Tuesday, the Steelers announced that they have signed the running back. He’ll replace fellow RB James Conner, who is headed to IR after undergoing knee surgery.

Ridley’s best football came during his four-year run with the Patriots, particularly in 2012. In that campaign, he totaled more than 1,200 rushing yards as well as 12 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries have altered the course of his once-promising career. Since parting ways with the Pats, he’s been employed by the Jets, Lions, Colts, Falcons, Broncos, and Vikings. He has not been able to replicate that ’12 stat line at any of those stops. With Pittsburgh, he’ll be asked to serve as the third tailback behind starter Le’Veon Bell and Fitzgerald Toussaint, the team’s de facto No. 2 RB.

Conner, a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2017, was one of the most inspirational stories to come out of this year’s draft. The Pennsylvania native and Pitt product bounced back from a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis (not to mention a torn MCL) in 2015 to conclude his college career with a vengeance in 2016. A cancer-free Conner turned in his second thousand-yard campaign with the Panthers (1,092, on 5.1 yards per carry) and combined for 20 touchdowns (16 rushing, four receiving). This year, he became Bell’s primary understudy. His season ends with 32 catches for 144 yards.

NFC Notes: Packers, Vikings, Bucs, Cardinals

October 10th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Davante Adams remarkably scored two touchdowns for the Packers just 10 days after taking a violent hit from Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan, and it’s clear that Adams is in line to become Green Bay’s No. 1 wideout at some point, opines Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Of course, that would first entail the Packers extending the 24-year-old Adams, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring. While Green Bay could hypothetically deploy the franchise tag on Adams, the club is unlikely to invest $16MM+ on a single pass-catcher given the investment it already has is Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. A new deal for Adams, who managed 997 yards and 12 touchdowns a season ago, could potentially top $10MM annually.

Here’s more from the NFC:

The Vikings‘ head trainer says quarterback Sam Bradford is not dealing with a new injury to his knee, but does have “wear and tear” on his left knee, which has undergone two ACL operations, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Bradford returned Monday night following a three-week absence, but couldn’t make it through the first half before experiencing an issue with his knee. Minnesota didn’t offer any timeline on Bradford’s return, meaning Case Keenum (and possibly the returning Teddy Bridgewater) will be under center for the time being.
Stevan Ridley, who spent four days on the Vikings‘ roster last week, is staying in the Minneapolis area as there is a possibility he’ll be re-signed to the club’s active roster, Tomasson reports in a separate piece. The Vikings are currently carrying only Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon at running back, although fullback C.J. Ham can also handle tailback duties. Ridley, 28, handled only three carries during the 2016 campaign.
The Buccaneers selected Patrick Murray as their new kicker on Monday, but the club reportedly prefers former Chief Cairo Santos among the available free agents, according to Roy Cummings of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Santos was in Tampa Bay yesterday to take a physical, but he’s roughly two weeks away from full health. The Buccaneers, then, could theoretically give Murray something of a two-week tryout before circling back to Santos if Murray fails. Murray, Santos, Andrew Franks, Josh Lambo, and Mike Nugent were all in consideration to replace the struggling Nick Folk as Tampa’s kicker.
Before signing Justin Drescher to replace the injured Aaron Brewer, the Cardinals worked out four other long snappers, tweets veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer. Andrew East, Colin Holba, Jeff Overbaugh, and Drew Williams all auditioned for Arizona before the Cardinals went with Drescher. General manager Steve Keim & Co. appear to have gone with experience, as Drescher was the only member of the group who had appeared in an NFL game. Drescher, 29, played in 16 games per season for the Saints from 2011-16.

Vikings Activate WR Michael Floyd

October 9th, 2017 at 1:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have activated wide receiver Michael Floyd from suspension, the club announced today. In a related move, Minnesota has released running back Stevan Ridley.

Floyd will make his Vikings debut on Monday Night Football when Minnesota faces the division-rival Bears. The Vikings landed Floyd on a one-year deal that contained no guaranteed money, and will give him a chance to rebound to his former heights. Once a receiver who regularly topped 800 yards receiving with the Cardinals, Floyd was charged with extreme DUI and subsequently waived last season.

The Patriots claimed Floyd off waivers, but the 27-year-old didn’t contribute much for New England down the stretch run. Playing time could be hard to come by with the Vikings, as well, as the club already has two established wideouts in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Floyd could potentially take over as Minnesota’s third receiver, but he’ll face competition from Laquon Treadwell and Jarius Wright.

Ridley, of course, is most well-known for his four-year run with the Patriots, especially his 2012 campaign in which he totaled more than 1,200 yards on the ground and 12 rushing touchdowns. Injuries have sapped much of the now 28-year-old’s value since then, however, and Ridley has become something of a journeyman. He’s been employed by the Jets, Lions, Colts, Falcons, and — most recently — Broncos since 2015.

Vikings Sign RB Stevan Ridley

October 5th, 2017 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have signed running back Stevan Ridley. Ridley joins the team as rookie Dalvin Cook formally goes on injured reserve.

Ridley has bounced around the league in recent years, but he is best known for his time with the Patriots. In 2012, he ran for 1,263 yards off of 290 carries (4.4 yards per carry average) with 12 touchdowns. More recently, he had stints with the Jets, Lions, Colts, and Falcons, but was unable to replicate that success. This year, he spent training camp with the Broncos before being released in the final wave of roster cuts.

Ridley figures to serve as Minnesota’s No. 3 running back behind Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. Ridley auditioned for the job on Wednesday alongside Bobby Rainey, Troymaine Pope, and Josh Rounds and came out the winner.

Vikings Work Out RB Stevan Ridley

October 4th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In need of help at the running back position, the Vikings worked out free agents Stevan Ridley, Bobby Rainey, Troymaine Pope, and Josh Rounds, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

At present, the Vikings have only two running backs on their roster after placing rookie Dalvin Cook — who suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 — on injured reserve. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon will presumably split time in Minnesota’s backfield, while fullback C.J. Ham is also capable of playing tailback. While the Vikings could hypothetically promote Bronson Hill from their practice squad, one of the above free agents could give the club another option.

Ridley, of course, is most well-known for his four-year run with the Patriots, especially his 2012 campaign in which he totaled more than 1,200 yards on the ground and 12 rushing touchdowns. Injuries have sapped much of the now 28-year-old’s value since then, however, and Ridley has become something of a journeyman. He’s been employed by the Jets, Lions, Colts, Falcons, and — most recently — Broncos since 2015.

Rainey doesn’t quite rival Ridley’s history in terms of changing teams, but he’s been with five teams since entering the league in 2012. Typically used a passing back, Rainey spent the 2016 season with the Giants and was utilized heavily on special teams. He signed with the Ravens earlier this year, but couldn’t make it through final roster cutdowns.

Pope, 23, went undrafted out of Jacksonville State in 2016 and has since spent his NFL career with the Jets and Seahawks. In four career games, Pope has managed 12 carries for 44 yards and one reception for five yards. This year, Pope was part of the Colts’ offseason roster and also saw a few days of action on the club’s practice squad. The Vikings aren’t the only team interested in Pope, as he also has a workout scheduled with the Chargers, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Broncos Cut RB Stevan Ridley

September 1st, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have released running back Stevan Ridley, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The former Patriots standout signed with Denver in late July and his stint with the team ends after roughly one month.

Ridley was signed in the wake of Devontae Booker‘s wrist injury, but the team prefers some of its other options including veteran Jamaal Charles and rookie De’Angelo Henderson. We won’t know for sure until Saturday afternoon, but it sounds like those two are in line to make the 53-man cut, along with presumptive starter C.J. Anderson.

The 28-year-old Ridley has a 1,200-yard season under his belt, but he hasn’t been all that effective in recent years. He wasn’t much of a factor in 2014, his final season with the Patriots, and combined for just 10 appearances, 39 carries and 97 yards with the Jets and Falcons over the last two years.

Broncos To Sign Stevan Ridley

July 27th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Broncos have agreed to a deal with running back Stevan Ridley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ridley worked out for the club on Thursday and did enough to earn a one-year contract, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

The addition of Ridley comes in response to the wrist injury fellow running back Devontae Booker suffered. With Booker set to miss six to eight weeks, Denver wanted a replacement to slot in behind C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles in its backfield.

The 28-year-old Ridley joins Charles as the Broncos’ second back with at least one 1,000-yard season under his belt, though the former hasn’t been particularly effective overall. Since a strong 2011-13 showing in New England that included a 1,263-yard, 12-touchdown season, Ridley’s output has declined substantially. He wasn’t much of a factor in 2014, his final season with the Patriots, and combined for just 10 appearances, 39 carries and 97 yards with the Jets and Falcons over the previous two years.

Thanks to his recent downturn in production, Ridley didn’t generate much offseason interest prior to reaching an agreement with the Broncos. He worked out with one of his ex-teams, the Jets, back in May, but it was radio silence otherwise.

Broncos Work Out Stevan Ridley

July 27th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Stevan Ridley worked out for the Broncos on Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets. The audition comes in the wake of news that Devontae Booker will need minor surgery on his wrist.

Booker was unknowingly lifting weights with the injury for weeks and wound up aggravating it in training, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). . He is said to be facing a 6-8 week recovery after surgery and although the Broncos expect to have him in the lineup for Week 1, they may want to have their bases covered by adding someone like Ridley.

Ridley was hampered by injuries in 2016 and bounced around the league a bit, but it has been said that he’s now mostly healthy. His only other known audition of the offseason came when he worked out for the Jets in May.

We’re now years removed from Ridley’s 1,ooo+ yard campaign with the Patriots in 2012. It remains to be seen what he can offer in 2017.

Jets Audition RB Stevan Ridley

May 11th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Could Stevan Ridley return to the Jets? Gang Green worked out the running back this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter).

Ridley, who with the Jets in 2015, has apparently drawn interest from a few teams. He was hampered by injuries in 2016 and bounced around the league a bit, but he’s mostly healthy now as he auditions for clubs.

The Lions signed Ridley prior to the 2016 season with the idea that he would fulfill their “big back” role. However, he slid down the depth chart in the summer and was cut loose in late August. After a cup of coffee with the Colts in the preseason, he was on the couch until the Falcons came calling in October. Less than one month after that, he was shown the door. The veteran worked out for the Seahawks in late December, but that showcase did not lead to a deal.

The Jets will go into 2017 with Bilal Powell and Matt Forte as their lead backs and sixth-round pick Elijah McGuire has the inside track on filling one of the reserve spots behind them. After that, it’s a bit of a free for all and the Jets wouldn’t hesitate to sign Ridley if they felt that he had something to contribute this year.