When you have 12 WR's ....

[he he]

I have no problem with Grier or Flo but, their evaluation of receivers and running back has been dismal to say the least up until now. The old
saying pay now or pay later has definitely been Miami's situation in the past. We should look at the fastest largest and reliable receiver /TE
available period! Tua has to have receivers who can get off the line and run routes fast and precise for him to excel, he has always had that in college
and when he came to Miami what did he have ? Just saying

 

[Kyndig]

parker bowden and fuller are locked in
the rest.... very fungible

I’m not sure about Bowden. I think Preston Williams even though he’s been injured has a stronger case for a roster spot. However, you never know, he’ll certainly have a chance to compete in training camp And I expect us to add at least one or two rookies.

 

[Digital]

Do you see us drafting more? Lol

Yes, I definitely see us drafting at least 1 WR. This is a solid WR class, and I think the front office realizes that any team with a young QB needs to surround him with talent. One of the most useful things a team can do is get him a WR with whom to develop chemistry and grow in tandem with for years to come.

 

[juniorseau55]

Yes, I definitely see us drafting at least 1 WR. This is a solid WR class, and I think the front office realizes that any team with a young QB needs to surround him with talent. One of the most useful things a team can do is get him a WR with whom to develop chemistry and grow in tandem with for years to come.

1st or 2nd round?

 

[Digital]

1st or 2nd round?

Great question. Not really sure. If we trade down out of the top 8 or so we might just wait until the 2nd round. If we make our selection at #3, I suspect it would be either Ja'Marr Chse or DeVonta Smith. Personally, I don't see us drafting WR at #18, but could definitely see us getting one at #36 or #50 depending upon who all was available at those picks.

But this offseason we seem to be digging holes for ourselves. Rather than filling in holes, we seem to be creating needs. While I wasn't a big fan of Shaq Lawson and did advocate for moving on from him, I can't say that I was thrilled with losing both Kyle Van Noy AND Shaq Lawson. Without a pass rush our defense was horrible in 2019. Ogbah was a huge gem, but I'm not ready to jettison the rest of our pass rush. Sure, Van Ginkel can fill in for one of those spots ... but we lost 2 guys and still need someone to fill in for Van Ginkel's minutes as well. So, IMHO, we're probably in the market for DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips at #18 or even earlier if we trade down from #3. We're probably also in the market for Zaven Collins at #36. Both of those guys are great prospects ... but it reduces our ability to grab a WR, RB or OL in those spots where exceptional talent is still available. Also, if we trade down from #3, I think we're now back in consideration for the media darling Micah Parsons, LB from Penn State. One of those top 3 picks almost has to be an edge player, likely the #18 pick. So, if we don't draft a WR at #3, then it is possible that our only real shot is in round 2.

 

[utahphinsfan]

That's more so what I think it is..no offseason and coming off an injury..it just so happens bama receivers always seem to run wide open..won't happen in the NFL nearly as much...all im sayin

I've also heard Chan did not adapt his playcalling for Tua. It was pretty much plays for Fitz.

 

[1972forever]

As the old adage goes, when you have two starting QB's, you have no starting QB. Soooo, when you have 12 WR's ... you don't have a starting set of WR's.

Quick breakdown, and feel free to add to this as we gauge this interesting position group.

DeVante Parker: Clear-cut #1, but salary is getting high, needs to be resigned in the near future, and has a long history of injuries. Given his age and Tua's youth, he's a candidate to be replaced if we draft a WR high.

Will Fuller: One-year rental, but if he stays healthy, he's our deep threat. Makes it easy to move on from Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant ... and anyone else whose main asset is speed.

Preston Williams: Young, cheap, big bodied WR who likely makes this roster. He can fill in for Parker and provides a big target for Tua. Seems like the best bet to stick long term.

Jakeem Grant: Love this guy, but he hasn't become a great route runner yet, his hands are still subpar, and despite truly NFL elite speed and change of direction quickness, Grant remains a special teamer and subpar WR. My guess is that his days are numbered. There's a chance he makes the team, but I'd expect he is a casualty.

Albert Wilson: Expensive and not dependable. The most important ability is availability ... and Wilson is never there. Misses a lot of games from injury and the team carried him and his salary. Then last year he skipped out because of Covid-19 fear. When you're not there, team isn't going to keep you. Thanks for the flashes Wilson, and good luck wherever you land ... but it's not going to be in Miami.

Allen Hurns: What can we say ... he has the same issues Wilson had without any production!?!?!?!?!? Buh-bye!

Malcolm Perry: Hanging on by a thread. Love the person, kinda like the player, but he's a marginal talent whose main asset is his flexibility as a gadget player and emergency QB. But alas, I expect him to be a Practice Squad guy next year, not a roster guy. Thank you for your service ... and there are many of us rooting for you!

Lynn Bowden, Jr.: This is the main reason I'm expecting us to move on from Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, and Malcolm Perry. Flashed some talent and has the flexibility to be our gadget guy and emergency QB. We traded for him and he seems to be realizing his talent, so I expect him to make the roster.

Kai Locksley: A big guy (6'4) who played QB but was very bad at QB at UTEP. But, he's got some athletic ability, and looks like a practice squad conversion guy. Good luck to him, but this isn't the most patient organization, so he needs to show ability quickly even on the practice squad.

Robert Foster: Former Alabama player with true speed. Intriguing, but less so now that we've added Will Fuller. Might be a Practice Squad guy to develop behind Fuller, but its going to be an uphill challenge to make this roster.

Mack Hollins: He did a decent job subbing in for Preston Williams and Parker when needed. Big target who looks a bit like a move TE playing WR, so he probably makes the team as a backup and sees less time than he did last year.

Kirk Merritt: Is he even a Dolphin? Listed on our roster on miamidolphins.com, but it's been a long time since I heard this name. Not sure if he has Practice Squad eligibility, but he's gotta hope he does, because he's not making this roster.

Isaiah Ford: OK, listed on our roster at miamidolphins.com but I'm thinking he's not a Dolphin. Regardless, the former Dolphin (Former Patriot?) would be our Baker's Dozen, and I don't think he makes our roster. Solid player, but a backup at best.

If I had to guess right now, I'd say our roster includes: DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Mack Hollins, and probably at least 1 rookie. That might leave a spot open, and I could easily be wrong, but that's how it looks to me right now.

This is a fluid situation, so I'm not even sure which of these 13 are on our roster ... and if I missed someone. Please let me know. Kindly add your thoughts. Twelve WR's ... wow.

Perhaps that is why the Dolphins are expected to draft another WR in the first round and possibly another WR later in the draft.

At this point in the off season there is nothing wrong with adding multiple players to any position
as long as they stay within the total allowed on the roster at this time of the year.

We all know that the Dolphins had probably the worst starting WR unit at the end of the 2020 season. I think Wilson Parker, Fuller, Bowden and Williams, along with the WR they draft in the first round will likely be the top 6 WR’s on the roster when the final cut comes.

I will be extremely surprised if any of the other 6 WR’s on the team right now make the final roster but obviously any of them could surprise and beat out Bowden, Willams, or Wilson for a spot on the team .
I think Parker, Fuller, and the first round draft pick are probably the only WR’s who are sure things for a spot on the 53 man roster.

 

[Nugtron]

Man, what a haphazard crew of "WRs"...we gotta draft atleast 2 WRs hopefully with 1a and 2a/b.

Or they're going to be announcing Jakeem Ant, AlHURT Wilson, and Who?! as our starting WRs
(Left out DVP due to soft issue injury).

 

[GeauxFins2020]

I'm crazy high on Williams. He's big, runs well, is a Hell of a red zone target; potentially, I honestly believe that he is our best WR.

The key is 'potentially'. He has to remain healthy, and to improve his willingness to catch, before he runs. I think this is very possible... last year's injury was caused by one of two things... a very odd gator roll tackle as he was scoring, or Christian Wilkins jumping on him in the endzone... either way, this was a freak injury, bad luck, not infirmity or poor structure.

Last year, on the sideline after every drive, we saw Preston perched right next to DVP... absorbing the vet's knowledge of the game, and watching Parker work through tough times and nagging injuries. If Preston is smart enough to put what DVP has learned since his rough first couple of years, Williams can be a legitimate #1 WR.

He makes peanuts for a salary and the single dumbest thing I have ever heard on Finheaven was posters saying that we should cut him and move on. I mean... the folks who said this are just CLUELESS.

I think Locksly, Merrit and Perry could stick around for a bit as Miami attempts to see which one best fits a practice squad role.

I dont think any of those three make the team...also think there is one roster spot for Grant, Hurns, Wilson...I'd take Wilson. PS Perry and Merritt.

I'd trade down and draft Pitts and Tutu Atwell...who can also run wild cat.

Fuller, DVP, Williams, Bowden, Atwell, Wilson.

And if one of these other kids overly impresses in camp, we might be able to parlay a WR and TE into draft pick.

 

[The Goat]

As the old adage goes, when you have two starting QB's, you have no starting QB. Soooo, when you have 12 WR's ... you don't have a starting set of WR's.

Quick breakdown, and feel free to add to this as we gauge this interesting position group.

DeVante Parker: Clear-cut #1, but salary is getting high, needs to be resigned in the near future, and has a long history of injuries. Given his age and Tua's youth, he's a candidate to be replaced if we draft a WR high.

Will Fuller: One-year rental, but if he stays healthy, he's our deep threat. Makes it easy to move on from Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant ... and anyone else whose main asset is speed.

Preston Williams: Young, cheap, big bodied WR who likely makes this roster. He can fill in for Parker and provides a big target for Tua. Seems like the best bet to stick long term.

Jakeem Grant: Love this guy, but he hasn't become a great route runner yet, his hands are still subpar, and despite truly NFL elite speed and change of direction quickness, Grant remains a special teamer and subpar WR. My guess is that his days are numbered. There's a chance he makes the team, but I'd expect he is a casualty.

Albert Wilson: Expensive and not dependable. The most important ability is availability ... and Wilson is never there. Misses a lot of games from injury and the team carried him and his salary. Then last year he skipped out because of Covid-19 fear. When you're not there, team isn't going to keep you. Thanks for the flashes Wilson, and good luck wherever you land ... but it's not going to be in Miami.

Allen Hurns: What can we say ... he has the same issues Wilson had without any production!?!?!?!?!? Buh-bye!

Malcolm Perry: Hanging on by a thread. Love the person, kinda like the player, but he's a marginal talent whose main asset is his flexibility as a gadget player and emergency QB. But alas, I expect him to be a Practice Squad guy next year, not a roster guy. Thank you for your service ... and there are many of us rooting for you!

Lynn Bowden, Jr.: This is the main reason I'm expecting us to move on from Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, and Malcolm Perry. Flashed some talent and has the flexibility to be our gadget guy and emergency QB. We traded for him and he seems to be realizing his talent, so I expect him to make the roster.

Kai Locksley: A big guy (6'4) who played QB but was very bad at QB at UTEP. But, he's got some athletic ability, and looks like a practice squad conversion guy. Good luck to him, but this isn't the most patient organization, so he needs to show ability quickly even on the practice squad.

Robert Foster: Former Alabama player with true speed. Intriguing, but less so now that we've added Will Fuller. Might be a Practice Squad guy to develop behind Fuller, but its going to be an uphill challenge to make this roster.

Mack Hollins: He did a decent job subbing in for Preston Williams and Parker when needed. Big target who looks a bit like a move TE playing WR, so he probably makes the team as a backup and sees less time than he did last year.

Kirk Merritt: Is he even a Dolphin? Listed on our roster on miamidolphins.com, but it's been a long time since I heard this name. Not sure if he has Practice Squad eligibility, but he's gotta hope he does, because he's not making this roster.

Isaiah Ford: OK, listed on our roster at miamidolphins.com but I'm thinking he's not a Dolphin. Regardless, the former Dolphin (Former Patriot?) would be our Baker's Dozen, and I don't think he makes our roster. Solid player, but a backup at best.

If I had to guess right now, I'd say our roster includes: DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Mack Hollins, and probably at least 1 rookie. That might leave a spot open, and I could easily be wrong, but that's how it looks to me right now.

This is a fluid situation, so I'm not even sure which of these 13 are on our roster ... and if I missed someone. Please let me know. Kindly add your thoughts. Twelve WR's ... wow.

Nicely done.

Random thoughts:

• I think Miami keeps seven WR this year.
• Devante Parker is a lock to make the roster UNLESS he's traded. Crazy, right? Maybe, but his salaries in 2022-23 make him a valuable asset for a team in need of a big-bodied possession receiver. And apparently the Dolphins FO is still very high on...
• Preston Williams. I'm not convinced he can replace Parker, but they do have very similar skill-sets.
• Allen Hurns costs the team more to cut than to keep. It's only $500,000 difference, but that's just...annoying. I don't think that's enough to keep him on the roster, though.
• This isn't directed specifically at you, but I'm absolutely sick and tired of hearing the "he quit on his team" narrative about players who opted out due to COVID. Albert Wilson's wife was expecting a baby. Anyone who can think that through and then say, "he needs to put his team above making absolutely certain his child will be as safe as possible" might need to rethink their priorities.
• Albert Wilson is the tough one. He got hurt early in 2018, and then didn't really return to form from the hip injury until late 2019, then opted out for 2020. However, he's pretty much exactly what Tua needs in the slot. When he was healthy, he was *very* dynamic in 2018. He separated well, was among league leaders in yards per target, and produced yards after the catch. Will he bring that back in 2021? It's hard to say, and he turns 29 before the season starts this year. He'd save the team almost $3mm if cut.
• Jakeem Grant. Ugh. I really think it's going to come down to Grant vs. Wilson vs. Bowden as to who makes the team...Grant's savings if cut are almost identical. I like Grant, but I don't think his return skills are worth his drops.
• I'm really surprised at the Mack Hollins re-signing. Miami apparently really likes his ST abilities.
• I believe that many of us overvalue our team's receivers - I don't see anyone aside from Parker and Fuller affecting who the team drafts. In other words, if they don't draft a slot receiver in the first three rounds, and Tutu Atwell is still on the board in the fourth round, they're not gonna say, "Well, we can't take him, we've already got two slot receivers!" They're gonna take him and let things shake out in TC.

Just my guesses pre-draft:

Cuts/PS: Merritt, Grant, Foster, Locksley, Hurns, Perry

Kept: Fuller, Parker, Williams, Wilson OR Bowden, Hollins

 

[DolfanDaveInMI]

Hurns' contract effectively ensures that he goes to camp with the Dolphins -- prohibitively expensive to cut before June 1 -- but it is an audition for the rest of the league in the hopes that someone throws us a conditional 7th to take his contract off our books.

 

[Tropic]

I see our receivers being big and often injured. At least we have some to replace the injured.

 

[Digital]

Nicely done.

Random thoughts:

• I think Miami keeps seven WR this year.
• Devante Parker is a lock to make the roster UNLESS he's traded. Crazy, right? Maybe, but his salaries in 2022-23 make him a valuable asset for a team in need of a big-bodied possession receiver. And apparently the Dolphins FO is still very high on...
• Preston Williams. I'm not convinced he can replace Parker, but they do have very similar skill-sets.
• Allen Hurns costs the team more to cut than to keep. It's only $500,000 difference, but that's just...annoying. I don't think that's enough to keep him on the roster, though.
• This isn't directed specifically at you, but I'm absolutely sick and tired of hearing the "he quit on his team" narrative about players who opted out due to COVID. Albert Wilson's wife was expecting a baby. Anyone who can think that through and then say, "he needs to put his team above making absolutely certain his child will be as safe as possible" might need to rethink their priorities.
• Albert Wilson is the tough one. He got hurt early in 2018, and then didn't really return to form from the hip injury until late 2019, then opted out for 2020. However, he's pretty much exactly what Tua needs in the slot. When he was healthy, he was *very* dynamic in 2018. He separated well, was among league leaders in yards per target, and produced yards after the catch. Will he bring that back in 2021? It's hard to say, and he turns 29 before the season starts this year. He'd save the team almost $3mm if cut.
• Jakeem Grant. Ugh. I really think it's going to come down to Grant vs. Wilson vs. Bowden as to who makes the team...Grant's savings if cut are almost identical. I like Grant, but I don't think his return skills are worth his drops.
• I'm really surprised at the Mack Hollins re-signing. Miami apparently really likes his ST abilities.
• I believe that many of us overvalue our team's receivers - I don't see anyone aside from Parker and Fuller affecting who the team drafts. In other words, if they don't draft a slot receiver in the first three rounds, and Tutu Atwell is still on the board in the fourth round, they're not gonna say, "Well, we can't take him, we've already got two slot receivers!" They're gonna take him and let things shake out in TC.

Just my guesses pre-draft:

Cuts/PS: Merritt, Grant, Foster, Locksley, Hurns, Perry

Kept: Fuller, Parker, Williams, Wilson OR Bowden, Hollins

Thanks for the kind words!

Just to be clear, I'm not saying 'he quit on the team' with Wilson and Hurns ... I'm saying that GM's look at injuries in a negative way, and voluntarily being absent in an even worse way. GM's are attempting to build a roster to win, and if the team doesn't win, no owner ever said 'well if you had had those guys who sat out you woulda won so I'm not gonna fire you.' Rather, owners are more likely to say something like this, 'you built the team, they didn't win, I'm moving in a different direction and getting in someone else who can build a winner.'

So, GM's are constantly on the hot seat, and they definitely do move on from guys who don't play. As Parcells used to say, "The most important ability is availability." That phrase doesn't differentiate between involuntary absences (e.g. injuries) and voluntary absences (e.g. suspensions, opt-outs because of Covid, hold-outs because of contract demands, legal concerns). GM's simply move on from guys who are not the answer ... and guys who aren't dependably available are not the answer. No vengeance, no retaliation, no disloyalty .. just a simple calculus of whether you're a solution or you are not. Same calculus that is made when they cut a guy who wasn't good enough ... it's not personal, they simply will be without a job if they don't make the decision that is right for the team.

 

[chadproton]

• Jakeem Grant. Ugh. I really think it's going to come down to Grant vs. Wilson vs. Bowden as to who makes the team...Grant's savings if cut are almost identical. I like Grant, but I don't think his return skills are worth his drops.

According to next gen stats DVP, Gesicki, Ford and Grant all had a very similar catch percentage in 2020, ranging from 61.1% to 66.6%. Guess who had 66.6%. GRANT!
It's a very common complaint among fans that Grant has a terrible problem with drops but according to that analysis he's actually doing better than the others. Reality and perception are a little out of line perhaps because some of his drops would have been really big plays or clutch down conversions.

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nextgenstats.nfl.com

BTW, Bowden had a very nice catch percentage of 75.7% on 37 targets although he might have benefited from a lot of short dump off throws. Average depth of target was 5.0 yards. For comparison Grants average depth of target in 2020 was 10.5 yards.

 

[ChitownPhins28]

Parker's inability to stay Healthy is why Chase's supposed 'reduncancy' with him is actually an asset, because he'd be Parker's heir apparent.