FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst has been open about his struggle with depression, substance abuse and his attempted suicide in 2016.
He received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Service Award in February for his outreach work through the Hayden Hurst Foundation.
Things have hit close to home again as his locker-room mate Calvin Ridley is away from the team indefinitely to address his “mental well-being,” according to the wide receiver’s social-media post Sunday.
Hurst and the Falcons (3-4) are set to face the arch-rival New Orleans Saints (5-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Caesars Superdome.
“So, Calvin, is my locker mate, if you will,” Hurst said Thursday. “So, me and him have had some conversations in the past couple of weeks. He knows that I’m here for him.”
Hurst and the Falcons have pledged their support publicly for Ridley.
“I think when you have stuff like that come up, as long as people around you make themselves available, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Hurst said. “I’m not jumping down his throat, FaceTiming him or calling him. I’m kind of putting the ball in his court.”
Hurst believes Ridley will reach out when he’s ready.
“He knows that I love him and I’ll do anything for him,” Hurst said.
The Falcons are hoping for the best possible outcome for Ridley.
“Obviously, we’re worried about Calvin,” Hurst said. “We’re here for him. We love him. He’s got some stuff that he needs to work out. But he knows that we’re here for him. But, yeah, obviously when you lose an elite receiver like Calvin, it’s going to hurt a little bit.”
Hurst believes the best way to support Ridley is not to crowd him at this time.
“It’s one of those things, when stuff like that pops up with your mental health, you don’t want people jumping in and offering, ‘This is the way to do it. This is what you need to do,’” Hurst said. “It’s just, we’re here for Calvin, and we’re making ourselves available. Then it’s his job to reach out wherever he sees fit to whoever he sees fit.
“Calvin knows that my phone’s open all the time, and he can call me with anything.”
The Falcons are preparing to carry on without Ridley.
Hurst has played in all seven games this season and started four. He’s caught 18 of 22 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown. Despite coming off his career-best season, with 56 catches, for 571 yards and six touchdowns, the new regime did not pick up the former first-round pick’s fifth-year option. So, Hurst basically is in a contract year and had to block out the chatter that the Falcons should trade him at the deadline Tuesday.
“I didn’t even pay attention to it,” Hurst said. “That’s above my pay grade. I’ll let (general manager) Terry (Fontenot) and them figure it out. But I think (the trade deadline) passed, and I’m still here.”
While rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, the fourth overall player taken in the 2021 draft, clearly is the future at the position, there still appears to be room for Hurst.
He’s played 259 of the offensive snaps (54%) this season.
“I think that I’ve done everything that I’ve been asked to do,” Hurst said. “That’s all I can do with my opportunities. Whatever (coach) Arthur (Smith) and those guys scheme up and put me in the position, I’m going to try to do it as best as I can.”
Hurst has handled his situation as a professional, a stark contrast to defensive end Takk McKinley last season. After McKinley’s fifth-year option wasn’t picked up, he took to social media at the trading deadline requesting a trade. He was later was released by the team.
“I can speak to Hayden as a person since I’ve been here,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dave Ragone said. “He’s been awesome in terms of his mentality. Mind-set, how he approaches the game. What I appreciate about Hayden is that he goes in and he plays as hard as he possibly can on game day.”
Hurst also is practicing well, Ragone said.
“When the lights come on, Hayden’s going to give you everything he’s got,” Ragone said. “From a coaching standpoint ... I like a guy who’s going out there and is literally laying it out there for you and playing as hard as he can.”
Hurst has enjoyed working with Pitts.
“He’s really fun,” Hurst said. “(We) kind of have our own inside jokes. We go back and forth because they put a lot on our plate, and it’s pretty stressful. So, I try to keep it as fun as I can, you know, obviously, when it’s time to lock in, we lock in.”
While Ridley’s out, the Falcons plan to use a committee approach to replace his production.
“So, understanding that there are things that Calvin does best,” wide receiver Russell Gage said. “I’m not gonna sit here and say that I can replicate exactly what Calvin does, but I’m ready to step up and play a role in what Calvin was able to do, if need be.”
Gage also is close to Ridley, who has indirectly prepared Gage to help out more in his absence.
“I pick his brain a little bit about things he sees or what his intentions were,” Gage said. “He’s real creative in his route running. What were you kind of doing right there? Sometimes he’ll give me answer like, I don’t know. I was just freestyling.”
Gage is willing to give it a shot at helping to fill Ridley’s shoes.
“I’ve seen the things that he does, so in a sense I can’t say that I’ll be a clone of his, but I can replicate in certain instances what he does,” Gage said.
Hurst doesn’t know what the future holds, but he’s trying to make the most of the season. Perhaps, there’s a lucrative free-agent contract waiting at the end of the rainbow. Or, maybe he extends with the Falcons.
For now, he’s enjoying his time with Pitts and veteran tight end Lee Smith while supporting Ridley.
“I kind of lean on Lee pretty heavily as far as pass (protections) and the run game,” Hurst said. “He’s one of the best ever to do it at the position. He’s done it for 11 years. So, I think I’d be pretty stupid of me not to pick his brain.
“Obviously, Kyle’s an elite receiver doing his stuff on the outside. So, having both of those, you know, ends of the spectrum to pull from is pretty awesome.”
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