Tag: Preston Williams

Here’s a potential trade partner that could make sense for Dolphins WR Preston Williams

Both sides seem to have disgruntled players.

This week, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams voiced his displeasure with the lack of opportunities he’s received during the first few training camp sessions.

First, he took to Twitter, and then he doubled down in his media availability, but he said he hadn’t asked for a trade despite the situation.

If Williams is disgruntled, and it’s clear that he’s being beaten out for the fourth wide receiver role behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson Jr., it would be in Miami’s best interest to call other teams to try and get something in return for the former undrafted wideout.

One team that the Dolphins might want to check in with is the Chicago Bears. Chicago has looked to find talent to surround second-year quarterback Justin Fields with, even trading for former New England Patriots first-round pick N’Keal Harry.

Williams has better career numbers than Harry despite going undrafted in the same draft that Harry was taken 32nd overall. Talent has never been Williams’ problem. Injuries have limited him to just eight games in each of his first three seasons. To this point, he’s recorded 111 receptions for 787 yards and seven touchdowns.

Miami could take Williams and a mid-to-late-round draft pick and send them to Chicago in exchange for offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who appears to be on the outs with his team after a complete regime change and a mix of Riley Reiff, Braxton Jones and Larry Borom getting the starting reps.

Jenkins was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft and played in six games last season, starting two.

According to ESPN, the Bears have been receiving calls on the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, and while the Dolphins seem set on having Austin Jackson start at right tackle this season, it can’t hurt to have that depth and competition.

At worst, Jenkins wouldn’t see the field for Miami in 2021, and they have a developmental tackle to work with and grow.

That’s a deal that could work for both sides.

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UDFA WR Braylon Sanders impressing early in Dolphins’ camp

Could he push a veteran off the roster?

Following a day of off-field distractions, the Miami Dolphins hit the training camp field Wednesday with fans in attendance.

While Tuesday brought the NFL bombshell of a ruling, costing the Dolphins a pair of draft picks, social media was also atwitter with the Preston Williams drama.

The fourth-year undrafted free agent wide receiver tweeted his frustration earlier in the week with simply wanting opportunities and seemed to double-down on this notion when speaking with Miami media following practice.

Not only has Williams been limited and deep down the depth chart, but a 2022 undrafted free agent is also making early waves in camp and challenging veterans in the room. Braylon Sanders, out of Ole Miss, was signed by Miami following April’s draft, and so far, the receiver is impressing in camp. When speaking with the media, Sanders stated that it was soft tissue issues that hindered his playing time while in college.

Wide receiver coach, and former Dolphin Wes Welker, praised Sanders following Wednesday’s session.

“He has great body control, he has great hands,” said Welker. “He’s got speed. You know, he’s doing a lot of great things out there.”

That’s high praise considering the talent in the wide receiver room as well as the presence of another rookie receiver, Erik Ezukanma, who’s performing well thus far.

Both rookies have caught the attention and eye of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The third-year signal caller told reporters on Wednesday he considers both rookies “dark horses” for the Dolphins’ offense.

“I’ve been very impressed with them,” he said. “They have very good ball tracking skills. They’re long, and they’re fast… The hardest thing for them is just transitioning with hearing the play-calls in the huddle and where to be. But, other than that, they’re very impressive throughout OTAs and throughout the first couple of days of training camp.”

While these young targets are making waves, not to be forgotten is Lynn Bowden Jr. Originally drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 draft, he was acquired by Miami and showed some signs of potential in limited action. An injury last preseason cost Bowden the 2021 season, but even Welker is aware the multi-faceted player needs more reps.

When mentioned, Welker agreed with a reporter who stated Bowden wasn’t getting many touches. The coach was also aware of Williams’ situation and provided his thoughts on the matter to the media.

“It is a very tough deal, there are limited reps,” he said. “I understand his frustrations. Preston has shown he’s a good player in this league. He’s doing some good things out there and he will get [opportunities]. He’s had a few. He’s done well in 1-on-1 drills.”

Back to Sanders.

He had a chance to speak with the media and support his own cause. When asked about not being drafted, and if it caused disappointment Sanders said, “No, not at all. It just added to the chip that’s on my shoulder now.” He then added confidently, “I’ve just got to come out here and keep competing and making plays.”

Which NFL receiver does he watch tape of?

“I like watching Davante Adams.”

While a lofty comparison, a follow-up question was asked in terms of body type.

“I think we’re about the same height, same weight, but I just like his releases and how he maneuvers – manipulates a defender on a route – and he’s going to catch the ball when the rock is thrown to him,” he said.

Sanders was asked several questions ranging from his pro-ready college offense, choosing Miami when weighing his options following the draft, and of coach Welker.

It seems Welker was instrumental in helping secure Sanders as a free agent.

“I met Coach Wes at the combine so just talking with him then and he was the first person to hit me up after the draft, so I just felt like this was the place for me to be,” Sanders told reporters.

There’s a similarity between coach and player, as Sanders described about Welker.

“He was undrafted as well, so just looking at his background and all the things he’s been doing coaching-wise and his career, I just thought that was the perfect person for me to learn from,” he said.

Sanders has reeled in a number of impressive highlight-reel catches and could continue to cause an excellent problem to have in Miami’s wide receiver room. A room that was once limited in depth now seems to have the welcomed issue of excessive talent and where not all will make this roster.

The undrafted rookie is proving to make life a bit more difficult for guys like Williams and Bowden, and that’s something everyone should continue to track leading into preseason games.

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Preston Williams clarifies tweet about wanting an opportunity

It seems like a split could be coming soon.

After making headlines for his tweet Monday night, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams spoke to the media after Tuesday’s practice session to clarify his message.

“I just feel like I’m not getting the opportunities that I deserve, simply scripted-wise, not being on the field-wise,” Williams said. “[I want] opportunities to show that I can beat my man.”

He said he did speak to head coach Mike McDaniel about getting a chance earlier in the offseason.

“We had a conversation during OTAs, and the only specific thing I asked him was ‘I just want my opportunity,'” Williams said. “[McDaniel] said, ‘You’ll get your opportunity.’ I just want him to make him a man of his word, that’s all.”

McDaniel spoke before the practice, and while he said he didn’t really find pressing needs for football in social media, he is aware of Williams’ comments and how these players want to compete.

“I do, however, prioritize opportunities for players to follow their dreams,” McDaniel said. “One of the things that (Wide Receivers Coach) Wes Welker and I strongly connect on from our journeys… is that we hold with a lot of esteem and responsibility preparing people and giving them opportunities. It’s also the – really looking to the players, too, to understand that every time they’re on the field, the way we do things, it’s a tremendous opportunity for them as well as their teammates who they’re depending on to execute and operate at a high standard… People want to do good, so I get that and I don’t really hold much weight to all of that.”

With the acquisitions of veteran wideouts Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr., Williams is really fighting for a depth spot in the receiver room. Most teams tend to keep six players at the position, so he’s battling for two spots with rookies Erik Ezukanma and Braylon Sanders, as well as Mohamed Sanu, Lynn Bowden Jr., Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft and DeVonte Dedmon.

Williams said that he hasn’t asked for a trade yet, but he’ll be in communication with his agent. With all the mouths to feed in the passing game, it’s hard to make everyone happy. Miami may be better off trading him to a receiver-needy team and receiving either a draft pick or a player at a position of need in return.

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Dolphins WR Preston Williams posts ambiguous tweet about opportunity

He’s in a battle for a depth receiver spot.

After acquiring wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. this offseason through trade and free agency, respectively, the Miami Dolphins are the deepest they’ve been at the position in a while.

Hill, Wilson and Jaylen Waddle round out the top three spots, and most teams tend to keep roughly six wideouts in a season, with a couple on the practice squad as well. That means that Preston Williams, Mohamed Sanu, Lynn Bowden Jr., Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, Braylon Sanders, DeVonte Dedmon and  Erik Ezukanma will be fighting for those last spots.

Considering Miami spent a fourth-round pick on Ezukanma this year, it seems likely that he’ll earn one of those, so there are really only two open spots.

Williams, who was originally brought in as an undrafted free agent in 2019, was a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Dolphins opted to bring him back on a tender.

After the fifth day of training camp, Williams took to Twitter and shared a tweet that could be referencing his lack of opportunities in camp.

It’s not clear whether or not this tweet has anything to do with football, but let’s just pretend that it does for a second. With all of the mouths to feed at training camp, including tight ends and running backs, it’s hard to keep everyone happy.

Williams has been with Miami for three seasons and has never played more than eight games. Other players are coming in for their first year, like Sanders and Ezukanma, and the Dolphins may be interested in seeing what they can offer.

Then there’s Sherfield, Cracraft and Sanu who have experience working with head coach Mike McDaniel. That gives them an advantage when a lot of players are learning a new system.

Maybe this is all nothing, and Williams is referencing something completely unrelated, but using context clues, it’s not hard to make the leap to his unhappiness with his usage to this point.

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Dolphins WR Preston Williams entering make-or-break year in 2022

With the wideout depth this year, his spot is far from guaranteed.

Following a week of rookies only, the veterans reported to camp Tuesday morning for the Miami Dolphins, and their freshman head coach, Mike McDaniel. On Wednesday, they hit the field.

Predicting Miami’s success this season is no easy task, as there are still many questions and variables for the team, despite a terrific offseason of signings and trades that bolstered the roster with star power.

Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. were added to a roster that has youthful talent at the position in Jaylen Waddle entering year two. Elite left tackle Terron Armstead, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, was signed to anchor an offensive line of young prospects, four of whom were drafted in the last three seasons by Miami.

While this is the first Dolphins training camp for Armstead, Hill, Wilson and a slew of other new acquisitions for Miami, there are several current players in the last year of their contract or on a newly inked one-year deal. These players will be fighting to make sure this is not their last training camp in aqua and orange.

Preston Williams is perhaps the most notable bubble receiver on the Dolphins’ roster. With the signing of veteran Mohamed Sanu, yet another name is added to the long list of targets vying for the six or seven spots on the 53-man roster. This creates a tougher road for the fourth-year undrafted free agent.

Williams’ main problem in his young career has nothing to do with his ability. The issue has always been availability. The story has been told, and after three seasons and only 24 games played, there’s a make-or-break urgency to 2022’s training camp for the player once dubbed “The Unicorn.”

Glimpses of freakish athletic ability from the 6-foot-5, 220-pound, all-around athlete had been outweighed by numerous injuries to begin his NFL career.

While his rookie year began with promise, he quickly became Miami’s most targeted receiver in 2019. However, an ACL tear midway through the season during a punt return against the New York Jets, a game in which he already scored two receiving touchdowns, halted his start. Williams finished with 32 receptions, 428 yards, and three touchdowns in eight appearances. That’s not too shabby if you project what his full potential could have been statistically if 16 games were played.

In 2020, Williams returned from his ACL injury, and his season started slow until he had his first career 100-yard game in a Week 5 blowout win against the San Francisco 49ers. He added a touchdown in that contest, and across from Miami’s sideline was a 49ers offensive assistant coach who would become the Dolphins’ leading man. Perhaps McDaniel remembers the performance.

Following that game, Williams tallied two more scores in the next three weeks, one of them leading to his other significant injury. In what truly could be called an odd occurrence, Williams dove into the end zone for a touchdown, while being tackled by the foot, and that undoubtedly caused his injury, which could very well have been added to in the moment of celebration.

As silly as that sounds, and regardless of the past injuries and drop issues, Williams was back returning kicks on training camp’s first day.

This means that a new offensive regime is still finding opportunities for him, which could be indicative of the organization’s confidence in his ability, while all hope that he can consistently provide availability.

Williams will get work this summer in two phases of football in order for him to extend his newly signed one-year deal worth around $965,000 in base salary with a $100,000 signing bonus, according to Spotrac.

Joining him on return workouts were Hill, Waddle and CFL import DeVonte Dedmon.

Williams carries a cap hit of just $1.29 million with a $275,000 potential dead cap hit. There’s a nothing-to-lose approach to Miami giving him one last shot at a productive and continual role within their offense, or as it seems, the return game.

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Dolphins WR and TE ratings in Madden NFL 23

EA Sports released the first positional rankings

As we’re all collectively crossing the end of another long offseason in the coming weeks, football fans are looking forward to the newest installment of the Madden video game series.

We’ve seen some early looks of new Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in the game, and it doesn’t look half bad. However, everyone knows the gameplay and the ratings are the aspects of the game that are much more important and frequently discussed.

On Monday, EA Sports, the publishers of the game, released the wide receivers and tight end ratings for Madden NFL 23, and the Dolphins have a top 10 player at each position.

Here’s a look at most of Miami’s wide receiver and tight end ratings for launch and how they compare to other players at the same position:

  • Tyreek Hill – 96 overall (No. 3 WR)
  • Mike Gesicki – 86 overall (No. 7 TE)
  • Jaylen Waddle – 84 overall (t-No. 27 WR)
  • Cedrick Wilson Jr. – 75 overall (t-No. 85 WR)
  • Preston Williams – 72 overall (t-No. 120 WR)
  • Lynn Bowden Jr. – 70 overall (t-No. 148 WR)
  • Adam Shaheen – 68 overall (t- No. 56 TE)
  • Durham Smythe – 68 overall (t- No. 56 TE)
  • Trent Sherfield – 68 overall (t-No. 190 WR)
  • Cody Core – 67 overall (t-No. 208 WR)
  • Hunter Long – 66 overall (t-No. 69 TE)
  • Erik Ezukanma – 66 overall (t-No. 223 WR)
  • River Cracraft – 65 overall (t-No. 241 WR)

There will be more ratings coming out before the game’s release on August 19.

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Fantasy football preview: Miami Dolphins wide receivers

Can Tua Tagovailoa get the most out of his talented receiving corps?

The Miami Dolphins wide receiving corps has undergone an epic turnaround in just 18 months as the team selected Jaylen Waddle with the sixth pick in the 2021 draft, made a blockbuster trade to acquire Tyreek Hill, and used free agency to add Cedrick Wilson.

These changes have put a lot of pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to turn the offense around. This is a critical season for the third-year passer, because there can’t be any excuses since the front office has given him the talent to succeed.

2022 Dolphins positional preview: Depth is a key difference at WR

More than one talented player could end up not making the roster.

The Miami Dolphins’ offseason is weeks away from coming to an end, as training camp is set to start at the end of July. From there, the team will be practicing on campus against each other and other teams before the start of the regular season.

This gives us some time to talk about the state of the roster before the first camp of the Mike McDaniel era begins. After discussing quarterbacks and running backs earlier in the week, today we’ll take a look at a wide receiver group that has certainly gotten a lot better since Miami last took the field.

3 Dolphins veterans in danger of losing their jobs in 2022

Two might not make the team, while one may just not be a starter.

The Miami Dolphins offseason has been action-packed to this point, with the firing and hiring of head coaches, blockbuster trades and impactful free agent signings.

This hasn’t left a lot of time for the players and coaches to sit back and enjoy time away from the game, but they’re getting some rest now with OTAs and minicamp in the rearview and training camp being a month away.

Now is actually a great time to assess the roster before they get a chance to have full, padded practices and work with other teams in July and August.

Are there any Dolphins who may have had their roles taken over with these new moves? These three seem to be the most likely.

Breaking down Dolphins WR Preston Williams’ new contract

The contract doesn’t guarantee that he’ll make the team in 2022.

While the Miami Dolphins have made a number of moves to bring new players onto their roster, they’ve also kept a lot of their own who were free agents, including wide receiver Preston Williams, who the team opted not to give a restricted free agent tender to but re-signed anyway.

Williams, 25, was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 by the Dolphins and has been on the roster for all three seasons. The biggest issue in his career has been staying on the field, as he’s only played in 24 games in his career.

Now, Williams is back in Miami on a one-year contract worth $1.49 million with $275,000 guaranteed. The guaranteed money comes from his signing bonus ($100,000) and the portion of his base salary that is guaranteed ($175,000). The deal has a total base salary and of $965,000 and per-game roster bonuses up to $425,000.

With the way that this contract is structured, the Dolphins would only create $275,000 in dead cap if they were to release Williams. At this point, he’s fighting for that fourth wide receiver spot with a number of wideouts on the roster, including Trent Sherfield, Lynn Bowden Jr., and River Cracraft.

He’s shown promise before when he’s been on the field. If he can do that again and stay healthy, Williams should have a spot on this roster. However, that’s far from a guarantee.

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