The Miami Dolphins’ 2020 season figures to be a whole lot more fun than the 2019 year — even if the team doesn’t rack up wins at an exponentially faster rate than last year’s team did. The Dolphins battled the narrative last season that the team was “tanking” — and for a while it appeared as though perhaps general manager Chris Grier had gone too far in tearing down the roster. There’s little question of Grier’s intent these days — the Dolphins were much more aggressive in adding talent and took advantage of the team’s embarrassment of riches in the NFL Draft to add eleven new players into the fray.
Each unit for the Miami Dolphins figures to be, at the very least, equal to what they were last year. No position group can be pointed to as getting worse, as Miami didn’t lose significant free agents and retooled several key positions with young talent.
One area of the Dolphins’ roster that “treaded water” this offseason was the pass catching group. The Dolphins did add new running backs to the stable, but neither Jordan Howard or Matt Breida figures to be that big of a staple in the passing game to challenge for leading the team as a receiver. So who among the Dolphins actually does make sense as a viable candidate to lead the team in catches?
WR Albert Wilson
The biggest barrier for Wilson will be his durability — Wilson has logged just one season with all 16 games played (2016 with the Chiefs). The receiver did set a career high in receptions this past season in Miami (43) despite missing three games and battling the lingering aftereffects of a hip injury suffered in 2018.
If Wilson can play all season, he’ll have a leg up over Preston Williams as a candidate in the passing game — given that Williams is recovering from a 2019 knee injury and may or may not be back to full strength himself to open the season.
But with a career high of 43 receptions, it is difficult to build a significant case for Wilson to lead the team — no matter who the quarterback is.
Bold prediction: 40 receptions (4th on team)
TE Mike Gesicki
Gesicki logged 51 receptions in 2019 and figures to be a significant contender for this title if Ryan Fitzpatrick holds down the starting job for most of the season. Fitzpatrick found great chemistry with Gesicki by the end of the season and continuity on that front will build plenty of opportunities for Gesicki to pull in passes in bunches. But the biggest barrier for Gesicki having a big year is that Chan Gailey’s offense typically hasn’t yielded big numbers for tight ends.
Tony Gonzalez logged 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 scores in Gailey’s 2008 offense in Kansas City — but we shouldn’t be ready to put Gesicki into that company just yet.
Bold prediction: 62 receptions (2nd on team)
WR DeVante Parker
While Gailey’s offenses haven’t been kind to tight ends historically, they have been kind to No. 1 receivers. Parker has officially arrived on that front — and so long as he stays healthy in 2020, he figures to see plenty of of volume. As a point of reference, Dwayne Bowe logged 86 receptions on 157 targets under Gailey’s watch in 2008 with the Chiefs.
Stevie Johnson logged 82, 76 and 79 receptions in three years as the Bills’ leading receiver under Gailey on 141, 134 and 148 targets respectively from 2010-2012.
Brandon Marshall logged 109 receptions on 173 targets in 2015 in New York with Gailey, too.
Parker had 128 targets last season — which means he’s likely facing a bigger slice of the pie in 2020.
Bold prediction: 85 receptions (team leader)