Dolphins receiver Rishard Matthews has felt like the odd man out this offseason. He showed a lot of promise last season starting as the slot receiver when Brandon Gibson went down with a patellar tear.
Yet with Gibson back and the Dolphins using a second-round draft choice on Jarvis Landry, Matthews is on the bubble. There have also been reports of discontent between Matthews and the coaching staff, and Matthews has acknowledged trying to improve his maturity level.
But there’s no question he can catch the ball and at today’s practice he was a prime target for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Gibson, still coming back from the injury, sat out the second half of practice and was seen with ice on his knee.
Matthews was the most active receiver at practice today and nearly made the play of training camp with a one-handed grab over Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes. It was ruled incomplete but it’s a glimpse of how hard Matthews is working to stay on the roster.
There was a contrast between Matthews’ effort and receiver Mike Wallace who avoided making a diving catch on a deep Matt Moore pass early in practice that would have been a touchdown.
Of course, Wallace is Miami’s $15 million man and it might be smarter for him to avoid a potential injury at a July practice. But after questions about Wallace’s effort last year, his lack of effort on that play didn’t go unnoticed by the fans in attendance.
