For all of the roster improvements we’ve seen from the Miami Dolphins throughout the course of this offseason, the wide receiver group is definitively holding firm to the status quo in 2020. Miami aggressively overhauled the offensive line, the defensive line and the secondary — a good indication of where this team was furthest off. But the wide receiver group appeared to be last on the pecking order; the team did not add any fresh faces to the group.
Where does that leave Miami’s pass catchers relative to the rest of the league? There will be some variance depending on who you ask — but one outlet has already planted their flag in the ground regarding the Dolphins’ receivers.
Pro Football Focus ranked every wide receiving corps entering the 2020 season and it was a long scroll to find the Dolphins’ group — they were ranked 29th out of 32.
Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Miami’s group and why the unit is ranked so poorly relative to the rest of the NFL.
“The DeVante Parker breakthrough finally came late last season. Over the final weeks of the season, he was one of the top wide receivers in the entire league, ranking first in the NFL with 22 receptions of 15 or more yards from Week 10 through the end of the regular season. We’re not quite to the point where Parker can be relied upon as a true No. 1 option yet, though, and players like Preston Williams, Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns aren’t striking fear into opposing defenses any time soon. Mike Gesicki is the X-factor for this group heading into 2020. We saw flashes of what he could bring last season with his size and athleticism, but he needs to put it together more consistently in Year 3.” – Pro Football Focus
The skepticism is fair; but if things do click for Gesicki and Parker endures another fabulous season, the ceiling for Miami is higher than 29th. But, as is always the case, we will need to see it first on the field before the Dolphins are given any benefit of the doubt.