Tag: wide receivers

Were you hoping to see the Miami Dolphins land a big fish on the first official day of free agency at the wide receiver position? We’ve got bad news for you. Curtis Samuel is a member of the Washington Football Team. Corey Davis? He’s in the Big Apple. Marvin Jones has moved to Florida — but to the north part of the state as a member of the Jaguars. Nelson Agholor linked up with the Patriots and top names like Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin are back on their respective teams with the franchise tag.

This market went south in a hurry — and Miami currently has former Alabama speedster Robert Foster to show for it. That’s it.

Yes, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller are still on the market, as is T.Y. Hilton and Kenny Golladay. But most of Miami’s appealing top targets are off the board and the Dolphins have given little indication that they’re willing to come up on their offered price to any of them. Miami is often tied to Golladay, but the receiver is in New York this morning visiting with the Giants.

So the Dolphins must start to ask themselves where they’ll turn if they get shut out of the top of the wide receiver market. They’ll undoubtedly tap into the 2021 NFL Draft. But will a few rookies be enough to overhaul a wide receiver room that was woefully bad down the stretch in 2020?

If not, the team is going to have to take a look around for some possible trade partners and find a deal to make. Who are some NFL wide receivers who may be available and make sense for Miami? Here’s a short-list of possible candidates.

Chicago Bears WR Anthony Miller

Years remaining under contract: One (2021)

2021 base salary: $1,210,050

Miller has struggled to live up to the expectations in Chicago — although you can make the case that his quarterback play hasn’t helped him shine to this point in time, either. Miller, the 51st-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, logged 7 touchdowns as a rookie and a career high 656 yards in 2019 before regressing with the rest of the Bears’ offense in 2020. Miller is confirmed to be on the trade market, which makes this hypothetical a realistic one to broach. But Miller has struggled with drops to this point in his career and would need to sort out his inconsistency issues if he were to come to the Dolphins.

Bears are having trade discussions with other teams regarding WR Anthony Miller, per sources. Miller is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and is a productive and talented slot receiver likely to be dealt.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021

Miller would likely be available for a Day 3 selection.

Dolphins’ appeal level: 6/10

Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams

Years remaining under contract: One (2021)

2021 base salary: $15,680,000

The appeal of trading for a former top-10 overall pick can only carry you so far, especially when you factor in Williams’ salary as a player on the 5th-year option in 2021. The cost alone makes Williams an unrealistic option for the Dolphins — who are presumably looking for more separation from their receiving room.

Count us out on this one, despite some rumblings that Williams may be on the move after Chargers GM Tom Telesco suggested that they will “keep all options open.”

Dolphins’ appeal level: 5/10

Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup

Years remaining under contract: One (2021)

2021 base salary: $2,443,000

Gallup is the perfect target for Miami. Over the last two seasons, Gallup has played in 30 games (out of a maximum of 32) and logged 1,950 yards and 11 touchdowns. He boasts a career yards per catch of 15.6 and is highly productive on a per-target basis. Given that Dallas has paid handsomely for QB Dak Prescott, WR Amari Cooper, RB Ezekiel Elliott, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Jaylon Smith, OTs La’el Collins and Tyron Smith, OG Zach Martin and others, getting Gallup under contract for the long haul feels like an impossible ask.

And Dallas’ own transactions seem to hint that Gallup could be on the way out — the team drafted CeeDee Lamb at No. 17 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft and targeted him more often in the Cowboys’ offense last season (111 versus 105). With Gallup on the last year of his rookie deal, he checks effectively all the boxes the Dolphins would be looking for.

Even Cowboys staff writer David Helman recently admitted trading Gallup is something he’s “heavily consider” if Dallas got offered a Day 2 pick.

Dolphins’ appeal level: 8/10

Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. 

Years remaining under contract: Three (2021-2023)

2021 base salary: $14,500,000

We’d be remiss if we didn’t include the annual trade rumors of Odell Beckham Jr. The enigmatic receiver stirred things up earlier this week with a cryptic post on social media, leading to speculation on whether or not he has a future with the team. Add in the performance of young quarterback Baker Mayfield with Beckham Jr. on the field versus his showings without the star receiver and there’s a strong case to be made for Cleveland to part ways.

And the added appeal for Miami is the team would get a standout player with three years left on his contract.

But at the same time, Beckham Jr. has a knack for wearing out his welcome and already impressed his will on a young quarterback with only moderate results in Cleveland — would Miami want to invite the same scenario in 2021? Not likely, especially when you consider the probable cost

Dolphins’ appeal level: 6.5/10

The Miami Dolphins’ quest to improve their wide receiver room is going to result in a lot of searching over the course of the next few months. Free agency, the NFL Draft and potential trades should all be considered on the table. And while the team is going to have a long list of targets when their vetting of the options comes to a close, you may as well divide that list up across several fronts. Because not all wide receivers are created equal — and it appears as though the Dolphins are going to continue believing that with their upcoming roster construction.

A report yesterday from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald quoted a source indicated that the Dolphins believe they need an upgrade in the slot:

“According to a source, the Dolphins believe they also need a twitchy receiver capable of playing in the slot,” wrote Jackson.

But there’s also the need for help on the outside, where Miami has boasted a massive duo of receivers in Devante Parker and Preston Williams when healthy. And there lies a big part of the problem, as the fine print states that the duo is featured when healthy — circumstances that are becoming increasingly infrequent. Jackson’s report continues to state that “boundary receiver also will be addressed”; indicating that Miami will continue to embrace different body types for different roles within the room instead of morphing into a more ambiguous style of receiving room.

There are size receivers, like Parker, Williams and Mack Hollins. There is a speedster in Jakeem Grant. And there are several multi-tool receivers with slot prowess, such as Albert Wilson, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Malcolm Perry.

Will the Dolphins continue to remain committed to such archetypes? If so, you can start to further narrow down and identify combinations of receivers for the Dolphins to target. Miami could replace Grant with a speedster like Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle (1st-round), Western Michigan’s Dwayne Eskridge (Day 2) or North Carolina’s Dazz Newsome (Day 3) in the draft this April. Perhaps the team could also dial in on Curtis Samuel in free agency to replace Albert Wilson in the “gadget/hybrid” group, too. Mack Hollins figures to be the receiver on the chopping block from the “big” receiver room given Miami has plenty of defensive backs who could fulfill his special teams role if need be. Perhaps Tennessee’s Corey Davis could fit the bill there and a more price-friendly option to Chicago’s Allen Robinson, who figures to command $20M per season?

This is, of course, speculation based on Miami’s current roster splits at the receiver position and Jackson’s report specifying the need for both an inside receiver and an outside target. But if you can lump receivers into different buckets, which is how the team is reportedly looking at the chore of completely overhauling the room, you can start to further define what the combinations and possibilities look like.