The Miami Dolphins are closing up their first week in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 NFL season — a successful campaign that left the Dolphins just short of the ultimate goal: a ticket to the postseason and a chance to make some noise. The Dolphins are, despite their 10-6 record, a team with plenty of room for improvement; specifically on the offensive side of the football. Miami’s defense figures to be more ferocious than 2020 next season with so many prominent pieces of the puzzle back and continuity on their side.
Offensively, this team figures to have a bunch of new pieces. They’re guaranteed to have a new play caller once again, but with the wide receiver room serving as such a sore spot for Miami, they’ll likely embrace a complete overhaul of their skill positions.
One player who lingered in the background for Miami’s 2020 season who will get a chance to make a statement and be a part of the new-look group is wide receiver Kirk Merritt.
We have signed WR Kirk Merritt to a reserve/futures contract.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 7, 2021
The 2020 undrafted free agent has signed a futures contract to keep him in Miami for the foreseeable future, adding yet another young talent who Miami can watch develop this offseason and potentially provide the team with a lottery ticket worth cashing in on down the road. Merritt’s resume as an athlete speaks for itself — he ran a 4.33s 40-yard dash before the 2020 draft and would have been one of the best athletes at the NFL Combine had he received an invitation. But, despite Miami’s issues at receiver this season, Merritt barely made a dent on the active roster — so there’s a lot Merritt must prove between now and next season in order to survive the upcoming waves of reinforcements we should be expecting to see in the wide receiver room.