Privately, the Dolphins would love if 5-7 rookie jitterbug
Jakeem Grant can win both the punt and kickoff return jobs, allowing them to reduce
Jarvis Landry’s workload.
The Dolphins know Grant is quick, fast and elusive. What they don’t know yet is whether he will be prone to missteps with ball control or drops. They also don’t quite know how he will fare returning punts, considering he never did that at Texas Tech.
“He’s had days he hasn’t dropped any and a couple days where he’s dropped one or two,” special teams coordinator
Darren Rizzi said. “He catches punts before practice, during practice, after practice. The guy is really putting the work in.
“He definitely is ahead of where I thought he would be, for a guy who didn’t return punts in college. He’s his own worst critic. We’re anxious to get to next Friday in live action [at the New York Giants].”
As far as ball security goes with Grant, Rizzi said: “Those guys that are elusive, fast guys — I’m not just talking about Jakeem, I’m talking about a blanket statement — sometimes tend to get careless with the ball. We’re going to make that a major emphasis.”
But Grant’s speed and ability to quickly change directions excite the coaches. “I know what he can do with the ball in his hand,” Rizzi said. “He’s proven it in practice.”
