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The Miami Dolphins are going to need someone to step up to the plate. After the opt-outs of wide receivers Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson, the team will be looking to adjust and pivot as needed to ensure they can offer their quarterbacks with sufficient targets. One candidate to fill the void is receiver Isaiah Ford, who has been with the Dolphins since 2017 — when Miami invested one of the final picks in the NFL draft to secure his services.
The investment hasn’t been overly fruitful yet but Ford has dabbled with the active roster and finally made his presence felt down the stretch of 2019. Now, with Hurns and Wilson out of the picture for this season, Ford is drawing on those prior experiences (and all of that time on the practice squad) to help him rise to the occasion.
“Being able to take those mental reps from the guys that I’ve learned from in the past, whether it’s been Kenny (Stills) or Danny (Amendola) down the road to Albert (Wilson) and Allen (Hurns) when he came on. Just watching film with those guys and being able to pick their brains and things like that, then getting in the quarterbacks room and watching film with Josh (Rosen) and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) last year,” said Ford during his Wednesday meeting with the South Florida media.
“Just seeing what they’re seeing and understanding the little nuances that help you see coverages and defenses better to get a better feel of where to be at and the timing and everything like that. I think that’s played a (big) role of not only building my confidence but helping me go out there and play, because now I’m not thinking so much. I’m just going out there and playing fast.”
The faster, the better. Ford’s 2020 season looks to be the intersection of experience and opportunity that he’s been waiting for to make an impact. Staying healthy from here will be critical — but he sounds ready to make the leap.