With free agency less than two weeks away, the Miami Dolphins receiver room has just 7 WR’s signed and their number one TE set to hit the market. With Tua Tagovailoa entering his crucuial third season in the NFL, the decisions Mike McDaniel makes over the next few weeks could prove pivotal.
The Dolphins passing game has long been anaemic and the current state of the Dolphins weapons won’t put fear through anyone, with only two currently signed receivers with over 33 catches in a Miami uniform, and only two 1,000-yard seasons.
JAYLEN WADDLE LOOKING TO BUILD ON IMPRESSIVE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN
There can be no doubt that the star of the Miami Dolphins receiving corps is Jaylen Waddle. Putting up 104 catches for 1,015 yards and 6 scores in his rookie campaign left him leading the team in all three categories. Waddle will be looking to improve his YAC, ranking 39th in the league, and touchdowns under new head coach McDaniel.
DeVante Parker, the only other Miami Dolphins receiver to have posted a 1,000-yard season in aqua had another injury plagued and disappointing season with 40 catches, 515 yards and just 2 touchdowns while suiting up for just 10 games.
Parker is set to count $8.7m against the cap in 2022, and normally we would be calling for the Dolphins to move on from him and swallow the $2.7m dead cap (Post June 1st cut). However, with the receiver room as thin as it is with experienced players and Parker’s ceiling being that much higher than the other receivers on the roster, barring Waddle, it’s hard to make a case to cut bait.
Allen Hurns is, astonishingly, the Miami Dolphins receiver with the third most catches in Aqua with 32. He hasn’t played a down since 2019 but is a solid perimeter receiver on his day. But he’s due $3m this season with a dead cap of just $433,334.
Having seen the field so little of late, and his best season way back in 2015 for the Jaguars, the likelihood is that the Dolphins will either roll with Preston Williams again as a RFA, or move on to someone new entirely.
| Name | Catches | Yards | TD | Catches as Dolphin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeVante Parker | 342 | 4,782 | 24 | 342 |
| Jaylen Waddle | 104 | 1,105 | 6 | 104 |
| Allen Hurns | 249 | 3,486 | 25 | 32 |
| Lynn Bowden Jr | 28 | 211 | 0 | 28 |
| Cody Core | 33 | 388 | 1 | – |
| River Cracraft | 7 | 85 | 0 | – |
| Devonte Dedmon | – | – | – | – |
LYNN BOWDEN JR IS MIAMI DOLPHINS PLAYER WITH 4TH MOST CATCHES
A lot has been made of Lynn Bowden Jr’s fit in the McDaniel scheme, and while he offers a lot of versatility moving him to RB didn’t exactly work in Las Vegas. However, that is still a possibility and he does have the 4th most catches among the Dolphins group with 28 in aqua.
It’s safe to say the expectations for the remaining three receivers on the roster currently are extremely low with 40 NFL catches between them and only 1 touchdown coming in 2018. They are likely camp bodies or special teams guys who will likely only get a decent shot at the field in the event of injuries to the main group, which given recent history is definitely possible.
So expect the Miami Dolphins to be super active in FA, although maybe not at the sharp end quite as much. Expect to see a number of mid-tier names enter the building, and maybe some returning players looking for another shot such as Albert Wilson and Preston Williams.
While Mike McDaniels maybe be more of a running game guru there’s is zero chance that this group doesn’t see some serious upgrades this season.
For more like this, you can visit our opinion section. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for news, views, competitions, and much more.