Tag: Jakeem Grant

Which Dolphins players could best fill Jakeem Grant’s returner role?

Which Dolphins players could best fill Jakeem Grant’s returner role?

If the Miami Dolphins make the decision to part ways with one of their most accomplished returners in team history, the team will have a challenging decision ahead regarding which player is the right one to step into the void that Grant would leave behind. The Dolphins saw Grant’s role as a punt returner shine yet again this past season — as Grant returned a punt for a touchdown against the Rams to mark his third consecutive season and the fourth time in five seasons that Grant ran at least one kick for a score throughout his NFL career.

But Grant was tasked with taking on his biggest role as a receiver yet — he took 370 offensive snaps last season (35%), a career high. And those snaps brought 54 targets on the season, also a career high. But those targets brought more opportunities for Grant to prove he could be a staple of the passing game and drops and misplayed targets were a continuous trend. And with over $4M in new cash due for the upcoming season, Grant’s cost may not be worth the production.

If the Dolphins make that decision, they’ll have plenty of options on who to step into the void. Here are three candidates to return kicks for Miami in 2021 if the team moves on from Grant:

Oct 3, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) runs for a touchdown after catching a long pass from Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (10) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated A&M 52-24. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports

WR Jaylen Waddle

Waddle’s punt return skills are undeniable — he fielded 38 punts at Alabama over three seasons and averaged 19.3 yards per return with two touchdowns. His kickoff duties are lower in volume but still impressive: he returned 9 kickoffs and averaged 23.8 yards per return there with an additional score from the 2019 season.

But would the Dolphins subject their No. 6 overall pick to a special teams role in addition to whatever he’s hoping to take on offense?

The early signs point to yes. When asked what separated Jaylen Waddle from DeVonta Smith in Miami’s decision to draft the former with the No. 6 overall pick, general manager Chris Grier pointed to two traits:

  • Explosiveness
  • Return ability

“At the end of the day, they’re both really good players and really good kids and very competitive. Just as we went through it, it’s the explosiveness that Waddle gives you as well as the return game, as Brian mentioned; and for us, just that dynamic trait and you can only imagine the texts Brian and I got from people talking about what a great pick and explosive and how this guy is – you guys saw all the comparisons – but for us, it was getting to know the kid and we were really, really happy and knowing how competitive and tough he is,” said Grier.

“They’re both really good players. Devonta is going to be a really good player in this league. For us, it was the explosive playmaking ability and the return ability for us that we really liked.”

But this wasn’t just a Chris Grier vision. Brian Flores was asked about Waddle’s role with the team during that same Thursday night press conference and the role of returner once again came up.

“His role is going to be what he makes it. Based off of all the film we’ve seen, we think he’ll fit inside or outside. We think he’ll add a speed element. Obviously he has some value in the return game,” said Flores.

“I think his versatility is a big part of this. His ability to play inside, play in the slot, play on the perimeter, play in the return game. Again, we’re very, very excited to have him.”

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How Jaylen Waddle will impact the Miami Dolphins in 2021

Former Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle will certainly have a strong impact on the Miami Dolphins in his rookie season. HIs stas from his time …

The Miami Dolphins had pick No. 5 in the 2020 NFL draft, which they used to select former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. One year later, with pick No. 6 overall, the Dolphins took his former teammate and wide receiver, Jaylen Waddle.

There were a few other college reunions to take place from the 2021 NFL draft. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne will play together in Jacksonville after spending time at Clemson together, Jalen Hurts got his former wide receiver DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia and Joe Burrow got his former wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati.

Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) before the Texas A&M game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas on Saturday October 12, 2019.

Tagovailoa only started nine games in his rookie season, but NFL fans are still quick to offer their thoughts on the Crimson Tide product. However, maybe it wasn’t all his fault that he didn’t look like he did while at Alabama.

In the 2020 season, which Miami ended with a final record of 10-6, the Dolphins didn’t have a single receiver eclipse 800 receiving yards. Wide receiver DeVante Parker led the team with 793 yards, tight end Mike Gesicki was second on the team with 703 yards. The pass catcher with the third-most receiving yards was running back Myles Gaskin with 388.

The Dolphins front office figured it would be best to help out their quarterback. So, Will Fuller was brought in on a one-year deal and they drafted Waddle with hopes of replicating the success Tagovailoa and him shared while they played under Nick Saban.

CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 29: Jaylen Waddle walks onstage after being selected with the sixth pick by the Miami Dolphins during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

How big of an impact will rookie Jaylen Waddle have on the Dolphins in his first season back with Tagovailoa? We can’t be entirely sure as of today, but we can get a good idea of what to expect based on what they did together in college.

Waddle can take a short pass deep. His speed, shiftiness and vision allows him to break tackles and extend plays. While in collage, he averaged 9.8 yards after the catch per reception. That would be massive for the Dolphins, as the only player to come close to Waddle’s number in the 2020 season was Gaskin with 9.6, no one else came within four yards of Gaskin.

Nov 30, 2019; Auburn, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Having Waddle occasionally catching short passes could help Tagovailoa move the ball down the field, it’s a much easier way of doing so compared to trying to hit Jakeem Grant downfield.

The former Alabama receiver could also catch the deep ball. There really isn’t anything that Waddle can’t do.

Prior to his injury in 2020, he was averaging 21.1 yards per reception. Whether a majority of it was yards after catch or reeling in passes from over 20 yards out, it’s impressive.

When Tagovailoa targeted Waddle, the numbers were impressive. According to Pro Football Focus, they had a completion percentage of 74%, 137.9 passer rating and 16.6 yards per completion.

While it’s unclear how big of a role he’ll have on this receiving corps, it’s clear that he was brought in for a purpose and will work his way through training camp before getting to Week 1 vs. the New England Patriots.

Who are Dolphins’ longest tenured players after Bobby McCain release?

Who are Dolphins’ longest tenured players after Bobby McCain release?

The Miami Dolphins have bid farewell to one of their longest tenured players this week, releasing defensive back Bobby McCain after six seasons together in South Florida. McCain, who as a 5th-round draft choice by the Dolphins out of Memphis in 2015, enjoyed a better career than most drafted in his range of the draft — a testament to his versatility as a defender. McCain, during his time with Miami, played nickel corner, outside cornerback and free safety over four different head coaches: Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell, Adam Gase and Brian Flores.

With McCain now on the outs, there is just one player who stands alone as the Dolphins’ longest tenured player — wide receiver DeVante Parker. Parker has logged the same number of seasons in Miami as McCain, but Parker was drafted two nights earlier in the 1st-round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

But even when you extend the window to account for the three longest tenured Dolphins, the list is still quite recent.

  1. WR DeVante Parker (1st-round, 2015)
  2. CB Xavien Howard (2nd-round, 2016)
  3. WR/KR Jakeem Grant (6th-round, 2016)

Grant is yet another player whose hold on a roster spot appears to be in jeopardy, as well. His receiving resume has been underwhelming and any time the Dolphins look to provide him with a bigger role, durability issues and drops spring up. Grant’s most appealing asset is his kick return duties — but Miami has drafted players with prominent return skills with two of their first three selections in this year’s draft: Jaylen Waddle & Jevon Holland.

Should Grant get the axe, OL Jesse Davis would move into the No. 3 spot on the list of longest tenured Dolphins. He was signed as a free agent in 2017. No other players remain on Miami’s roster from that offseason, either.

One player from the 2015 offseason. Two from 2016 (and one seemingly on the outs). And another one from 2017. This is the price you pay as an organization when you’re constantly playing musical chairs with head coaches and general managers and stability seems to escape you at every turn. The good news for Miami? They appear to have the right leadership in place, which means the Dolphins can start to further retain talent because it suits the long-term vision for the team.

But either way, it is quite startling to look over the Dolphins roster and realize that you can count on one hand the number of players who have been with the Dolphins for more than three seasons.

Dolphins return on investment at wide receiver further evidence for change

Dolphins return on investment at WR further evidence for change

The Miami Dolphins’ objective this offseason is clear: get better weapons for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami entered the 2020 season with former 1st-round pick DeVante Parker coming off of a career season and tight end Mike Gesicki suddenly looking like the talent the Dolphins envisioned in 2018 when they made him a 2nd-round choice. But beyond that? Yikes.

Even Parker, who entered this season with a new contract in tow, failed to live up to the standards he’d set the previous season. But his production was still respectable by the end of the year — 63 receptions for 793 yards and 4 scores. But the rest of the wide receiver room was ravaged by injuries and opt outs — leaving Jakeem Grant as the next most productive wide receiver on the team with a measly 373 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. No other Dolphins wide receiver finished the year with 300+ receiving yards.

The need for improvement is obvious — but when you consider what the Dolphins have on the roster and what they’re committed to spending for it, the need for change only becomes more obvious.

The Dolphins are committed to over $25M in cap commitments to the wide receiver position in 2021 ($25,500,001 to be exact). That figure is the 11th highest allocation of salary cap for the wide receiver position in the NFL. And what do the Dolphins have to show for it? 10 combined touchdowns (one less than their trio of tight ends) and one 400+ yard receiver in 2020. Granted. Injuries and opt outs did account for some of the shortcomings. But Miami’s wide receiver room is, at this point, one of the worst in football. The cap allocations for 2021 among Miami’s notable receivers are as follows:

  • DeVante Parker – $11.05M
  • Albert Wilson – $5.18M
  • Jakeem Grant – $4.75M
  • Allen Hurns – $2.88M
  • Preston Williams – $853k

This, of course, doesn’t include marginal cap hits for rookies like Malcolm Perry and Lynn Bowden Jr. Aside of yet another reminder of why building through the draft holds so much value, the Dolphins are at a painful juncture and must be honest with themselves about the merits and outlook of this group and compare it with what they’re getting back for their money. And, if 2020 production (or 2019 production in the case of Wilson & Hurns) are any indication, the end result may be a clean sweep of the team’s top cap commitments aside of Parker at receiver.

The best solution may not be be dropping $20M per season onto star receiver Allen Robinson, but then again just about any move would put the Dolphins’ receiver in a better situation than they currently find themselves.

Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant to miss Week 17 with ankle injury

Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant to miss Week 17 with ankle injury

The Miami Dolphins’ battle against attrition in the skill positions has been a long one. The Dolphins had to play several critical games down the stretch of their season without a slew of top ball carriers and pass catchers — culminating with a Week 15 contest against the Patriots that saw the Dolphins without any of their top players at wide receiver, tight end or running back. The team did see some reinforcements in Week 16, only to see one such returning play succumb to a new injury against the Raiders: receiver Jakeem Grant departed in the first half with a scary looking leg injury.

We now know, courtesy of reports that came out yesterday, that Grant will not be a piece of the puzzle for the Dolphins in Week 17 — his high ankle sprain is expected to keep him out of Miami’s final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills.

While the loss of Grant hurts in the special teams department, Grant has been unable to consistently find his footing in the offensive game plan. Not having his speed available will hurt— but Miami would benefit much more from a return by WR DeVante Parker, who has missed the Dolphins’ last two games with an ailing hamstring.

If Parker is back in the mix, it changes everything for the Dolphins offense. But the knowledge that one of Miami’s few dynamic after the catch threats is already out for this Sunday’s game is going to force the Dolphins’ offensive staff to get creative on how to try to keep pace with a high-powered Bills offensive attack.

3 takeaways from Chargers’ 29-21 loss to Dolphins

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez drops his thoughts on what went wrong in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

The Chargers didn’t get unlucky. Instead, they were outplayed and their mistakes were too costly to overcome in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

Here are my takeaways from Week 10:

Play-calling was questionable

The Chargers knew that the Dolphins possessed one of the best defenses in the NFL coming into the game. However, I didn’t know that would entail drawing up a script that would take the football out of the team’s best offensive player’s hands completely.

Instead, Los Angeles resorted to a run-heavy approach to take some of the pressure off of Herbert in hopes of it helping with Miami’s blitz-heavy scheme. But the decision to run the ball more did not help, as they failed to go for over 100 yards, despite running back Kalen Ballage’s strong outing.

The Chargers called run play on 18 of their 30 first and second-down, putting Herbert in a handful of unideal situations to try to convert on third downs. Los Angeles didn’t have much success, going 4-of-13 on third-down.

While he had his ups and downs, it didn’t help that he was under constant duress on the majority of his drop backs or his targets were erased. But the bottom line is that Herbert wasn’t given a chance until late in the game. Like I’ve said, roll with what is working. Running the football was not.

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Instant analysis of Chargers’ 29-21 loss to Dolphins

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down Los Angeles’ loss to Miami.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”oTqhCItQ7t-1038103-7498″]

The Chargers were outplayed in all three phases of the game in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

Here is my instant analysis from Week 10:

Injury Report

The Chargers did not lose anyone to an injury today.

Play of the Game: Nick Vigil’s fumble recovery

Normally, this would be for a phenomenal throw by quarterback Justin Herbert. However, there weren’t many of those. The fumble recovery led to the Chargers’ first touchdown.

Quick Takes

Quarterback Justin Herbert had the least productive performance of his season, finishing with 20-of-32 passing for 187 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

Herbert was unable to have much success down the field, like previous weeks, because the Dolphins did a great job of eliminating his top targets and keeping his head swirling with the various blitz packages.

To take some pressure off of Herbert, the coaching staff resorted to the running game, where running back Kalen Ballage had another productive outing. Ballage finished with 68 yards on 18 carries. He also added 34 yards on five receptions.

The coaching staff resorted to the running game to keep pressure off of Herbert, but some of it led to many third-down situations for Herbert.

The Chargers failed to have a skill player go for over 40 yards through the air. Wide receiver Keenan Allen led the pack with only 39 yards on three catches.

Lack of defensive execution led to the Dolphins scoring almost all of their points. The ones that stung the most were the close interceptions by linebackers by Kenneth Murray and Denzel Perryman.

The run defense was lackluster, once again. Undrafted running back Salvon Ahmed ran for 85 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Just like previous weeks, gap integrity and missed tackles continued to be the reasoning for it.

Special teams is a major area of concern. The unit allowed a blocked punt and committed two special teams penalties, all of which turned into points for Miami.

A bright spot in coverage was cornerback Michael Davis, who had two passes defended, both of which came in crucial moments.

The pass rush was nonexistent for the second straight week. Defensive end Joey Bosa’s absence has been evident.

Up Next

The Chargers return home to take on the Jets. Next Sunday’s game will be at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

First Half Highlights: Chargers vs. Dolphins

The Dolphins currently lead the Chargers by the score of 17-7.

The Chargers currently trail the Dolphins by the score of 17-7 at the halfway mark.

Things didn’t start too hot for Los Angeles after punter Ty Long botched the snap and had it blocked, allowing Miami to take over at their opponent’s one-yard line. From there, running back Salvon Ahmed punched it up the gut for the first score of the game.

L.A. could’ve held Miami to a field goal on their next drive, but a defensive offsides penalty on cornerback Quenton Meeks led to a passing touchdown from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Jakeem Grant.

The Dolphins were close to taking a 21-point lead, but a botched snap and fumble recovery by linebacker Nick Vigil led to a scoring possession. Quarterback Justin Herbert took it himself for a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Miami will start the second half with the football.

Six points with David Dorey

Friday’s quick look at six fantasy items to know

The COVID-19 situation seems to  get a little worse each week, with more teams reporting a staffer or player testing positive and then the guy sitting next to him on the plane is out too. But so far, the NFL season progresses without any change to the schedule other than a minor bit of moving a few games around.

The NFL East lost another quarterback to a visible, wince-evoking ankle snap. Dalvin Cook is driving an 18-wheeler through a bicycle race. And fantasy playoffs are starting to get close. Let’s hope COVID-19 leaves your roster alone.

Okay, six things to think about…

  1. RB Cam Akers (LAR) – Whatever happened to the fourth running back taken at the 2.20 pick in the NFL draft? The answer? Not much. He opened his career as the primary back with 14 carries for 39 yards but injured his ribs in Week 2. After missing two weeks, he returned to a backfield settled on Darrell Henderson as the main rusher and Malcolm Brown as the third-down back that mostly blocks.  He popped up with nine rushes for 61 yards in Week 5, then not again until nine carries for 35 yards in Week 8 when Henderson was injured. What gives? He’s gained 4.2 yards per carry but they’ve tethered him to a rarely used No. 3 role.HC Sean McVay said he would use him more in Week 6 and then nothing (“game flow”). Just prior to the bye week, he said ““I just want to continue to see him … learn how to compete without the ball.” So pass protection needs to improve. He added, “I think particularly without the ball in his hands are the things that we’re looking to see and I do have trust that he’s going to have a really good second half of the season for us.” So, perhaps he won’t spend his rookie year rotting on the bench, waiting for an opportunity every few games. Then again, he looked great in Week 5 and never found the field in Week 6 or 7. Akers has naturally landed on many fantasy league waiver wires. We’ll see if he stays there.
  2. QB Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) – Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert were drafted right before and after Tagovailoa who is only now getting his career started after two week. He turned in a very low-key debut with only 93 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Rams in Week 8, but then offered 248 yards and two scores in the win at the Cardinals and their No. 10 defense versus quarterbacks. Better yet, he ran for 35 yards on seven rushes. He looks like he belongs in that trio already.I want to see what he does this week versus the No. 22 defense versus quarterbacks in the Chargers.  He faces the No. 20 Broncos and the #30 Jets after that. Two weeks in and he already relied on all three starting wideouts more than other receivers. I can understand why Ryan Fitzpatrick is upset, but we can already see why the rookie is starting.
  3. Replacing WR Preston Williams (MIA)  – He injured his foot and landed on injured reserve, so he’s gone until at least  Week 13. In his place and playing with the suddenly sharp Tua Tagovailoa should be Jakeem Grant with a dash of Mack Hollins. But a new, young quarterback may just rely more on DeVante Parker or Mike Gesicki who was thrown four targets for three catches and 42 yards last week at the Cardinals. If the rookie is going to step up, he’ll need receivers to help and that doesn’t neccessarily remain the same from the first half of the season.In a year where tight ends have been so marginally productive, it would be great to see Gesicki deliver more on his promise and forge chemistry with his rookie quarterback.
  4. WR Michael Pittman (IND) –  He played last night in the Colts win over the Titans and that bears mentioning. The 2.02 pick of the Colts missed three games after needing calf surgery and was minimally productive up through Week 8 when he played. But he was thrown seven targets for four catches and 56 yards against the Ravens and then the Colts with eight targets for seven catches and 101 yards versus the Titans. That just what they wanted to see when they drafted 6-4 USC star.Notable too is that he still has to play the Titans again and the Texans twice by Week 15. The Colts have waited for a receiver to step up and mesh with Philip Rivers. Looks like that is finally happening.
  5. WR Allen Lazard (GB) – Was on injured reserve since Week 3 after needing core surgery, but may be activated as early as this week. He’ll provide a boost to the Packers offense that must rely on Davante Adams. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a freakish two-touchdown effort in Week 9 at the 49ers but hasn’t been a factor otherwise with five games as the starter. Lazard’s final start had him catching six of eight targets for 146 yards and a score at the Saints.The Packers don’t need him to beat the Jaguars this week, but it would be good to see him back and shaking off rust. The Packers face the Colts and Bears immediately following this week and all of the fantasy fortunes of the team will be better served with more than just one receiver of any note. This would be a great spot to get him back into playing mode versus a softer secondary.
  6. Primary running back count down – After nine weeks – eight games for most teams – here’s a quick look at each NFL team and how many different running backs have turned in the most fantasy points for their backfield in a game:
    Todd Gurley, James Robinson,  Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry are the only four running backs that have been a No. 1 back in every week for their teams. The AFC East has been the worst, with 34 games played by the division resulting in a total of 14 different running backs that scored the most for their team in a game. That’s of 40% of their games featuring a different  lead back.

Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

The effort put forth by the Miami Dolphins’ special teams units this season could be described as pretty, well, special. The Dolphins have seen several herculean efforts in football’s third phase to help Miami overcome and make the necessary plays needed to reach the point they’ve now come to: a winning record after seven games and a legitimate chance to make a postseason push in 2020.

The latest star on the special teams unit is receiver Jakeem Grant, who was honored today for his efforts against the Los Angeles Rams by being named the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week.

Grant joins Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders as Miami players who have claimed the award this season — and Grant’s breakout has felt a like a well-deserved performance that has been a long time coming. Grant has been close on a number of occasions to gaining the edge on kicks and that finally came to fruition for the Dolphins against the Rams.

It was first a kickoff return that netted the Dolphins starting field position near midfield, but the real shining performance was Grant’s 88-yard sprint to the end zone up the Dolphins’ sideline: the first punt return touchdown of the year in the NFL and the longest such punt return in the history of the franchise.

Grant may be an irregular contributor on the offensive side of the football, but his special teams value should never be questioned: he’s got blinding speed and needs just the smallest of creases to take it the distance. The Rams learned that the hard way on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. And now the rest of the Dolphins’ opponents this season can say they’ve been properly warned; as Grant now has some hardware to show for his performance against the Rams as well.