Every story has two sides. For the Miami Dolphins, the chance to add Lynn Bowden Jr. to the roster on a day filled with roster cuts was a welcomed opportunity. Miami needs playmakers with the ball in their hands — athletes who can win in open space and shine by creating missed tackles and creating big plays. Bowden Jr. can do all of the above, he’ll likely play wide receiver for the Dolphins but the 2020 3rd-round rookie played quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats last year. When pressed into action, Bowden Jr. served as a triggerman for an option-based offense — Bowden Jr. was frequently exposed to running the ball in traffic and creating big plays.
But if this all feels too good to be true, all you need to do is look at the other side of the story. From the Las Vegas Raiders’ perspective, the team seemed relatively happy to recoup assets for a player that was picked No. 80 overall in this past April’s NFL Draft. That should serve as a bit of a warning to the Dolphins — something was amiss in Las Vegas. Thanks to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, we have our clue as to what it was.
“Bowden really struggled at training camp, but that can’t be the whole story. And it isn’t.
Some at the team facility thought the rookie was more concerned with picking up new cars than the playbook, and on the field Bowden looked measured and not explosive. On top of a lack of breakaway speed, he was always getting blasted when it was his turn to pass block.
There were also some growing concerns that he was getting more and more distracted in Las Vegas and that he might be an influence on other rookies like Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette.” – Vic Tafur, The Athletic
If that’s indeed the case, than the Dolphins coaching staff will have their work cut out for him. It will help that the Dolphins are listing Bowden Jr. as a wide receiver — the Raiders had hoped to use him as a running back and that may have cut down on Bowden Jr’s confidence as a player throughout camp. At receiver, especially in the slot, he can be more of a reactive athlete.
But as far as distractions go, those won’t go away in Miami. The Dolphins will need to make sure that Bowden Jr. is a fit for this roster, this organization and the culture that is being instilled here. If he struggles on that front, this is another experiment that may be short-lived. But for now, we should treat this acquisition just like Dolphins players and coaches treat their process of attacking their jobs: one day at a time. And for today, optimism deserves to take center stage — given Bowden Jr. can definitely fill a needed void on this team and help the Dolphins create chunk plays with his talents.