Dolphins rookie second-round pick Jarvis Landry has been receiving a lot of praise since the start of training camp for his work at wide receiver, but nobody really should be that surprised at what he’s been doing. After all, he did lead a very good LSU team in receptions and receiving yards last season, beating out New York Giants first-round selection Odell Beckham Jr. in both categories.
But Landry’s dazzling 48-yard punt return in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons was a different story. When it comes to returning kicks, Landry didn’t bring much to the Dolphins in terms of college credits.
So to see Landry make a quick and tremendous juke to evade the first Atlanta player in coverage and then use his blockers before shaking free from Falcons punter Matt Bosher and gaining more yardage was something a bit more unexpected.
It also served to show that Landry clearly could contribute as more than just a wide receiver as a rookie.
“It was real exciting,” Landry said. “One of the things that Coach Rizzi and Coach Mouf (special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi and assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf) preach is just getting vertical right now. My big thing was just catching the ball first and trusting that my blocks would be set up and make one cut and get vertical. And that’s what I did.
“I can’t thank Coach Mouf and Coach Rizzi enough for giving me a chance, giving me an opporutnity to really do it after not having too much film of doing it. With that said, I thank them for the opportunity and they left it up to me to make a play. That’s all it was.”
The 48-yard punt return — the longest for the Dolphins in the preseason since 2011 when an undrafted rookie wide receiver by the name of Phillip Livas went 75 yards for a touchdown, coincidentally also at the Georgia Dome — looked more like the work of a seasoned veteran than someone who had a grand total of eight returns in his college career.
