5 Miami Dolphins in Line for Increased Roles in 2015
After a wild first wave of free agency, the Miami Dolphins not only filled some holes, but they saw some new ones created.
Luckily for them, there will be players capable of stepping up to the plate already on the team's roster.
These players got anywhere from limited to no playing time last season while on the roster, learning as they went along.
In 2015, they will be counted on to fill up some holes that won't be filled via free agency or the draft.
Here's a look at five players who will have to step it up in increased roles in 2015.
Rishard Matthews, Wide Receiver
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Rishard Matthews was the oft-forgotten Dolphins receiver in 2014, as Pro Football Focus has him only playing 218 snaps in 14 games.
In those 218 snaps, Matthews was targeted just 22 times, making 12 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns—still only one touchdown less than Charles Clay in 2014.
Playing behind Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Jarvis Landry and Mike Wallace can account for this, but Matthews has shown flashes in his three seasons with the Dolphins.
In 2013 when Gibson was injured halfway through the season, it was Matthews who stepped up and became Miami's third wide receiver. He gave the Dolphins 41 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns, grading out at 3.2 for the season.
In 2015, with no Hartline, Wallace or Gibson, Matthews will be asked to step up. From the looks of things, he's already at work with quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The Dolphins could very well use free agency and the draft to add a new receiver, but the continuity of Matthews will certainly help his case in being a more integral part of the offense moving forward.
Anthony Johnson, Defensive Tackle
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The Dolphins gained a big defensive tackle when they signed Ndamukong Suh.
However, they also lost two veteran mainstays in Jared Odrick and Randy Starks. Suh can replace one, but considering the Dolphins like cycling their defensive tackles in and out of games to keep them fresh, someone will have to replace Earl Mitchell (who's replacing Starks in the starting lineup) as the first defensive tackle off the bench in the rotation.
Good thing for the Dolphins is that a succession plan was already in place, thanks to having one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL in Kacy Rodgers (now the Jets' defensive coordinator) and some good luck signing an undrafted free agent.
That undrafted free agent was Anthony Johnson, who appeared in 84 snaps in six games last season, graded out at minus-3.6 per Pro Football Focus and recorded a tackle and a fumble recovery.
Johnson showed plenty to the Dolphins' coaching staff and front office with his pass-rushing skills, and he is motivated to do more, telling Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel: "If I don't have a starting job, I just want to be in the rotation and help this team win as much as possible."
Also worth noting from that piece: Johnson can sing. Very well, too.
Billy Turner, Tackle/Guard
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The time would eventually come for the Miami Dolphins to have to play Billy Turner.
That time didn't come last season despite the fact that the Dolphins struggled in the interior of their offensive line, trotting out Shelley Smith, Daryn Colledge, Dallas Thomas, Samson Satele and Mike Pouncey.
There was not one positive grade on Pro Football Focus between those players, making one wonder why Turner essentially spent 2014 as a redshirt instead of contributing.
My guess for why this didn't happen: Joe Philbin being stubborn and sticking with veteran players.
Turner should've gotten some play after Branden Albert went out with an injury against Detroit. Turner was the only player on the Dolphins with any experience at left tackle—his position in college while at North Dakota State.
Despite that, Philbin went with Ja'Wuan James at left tackle, while Thomas was an unmitigated disaster at right tackle.
So what's different this year? Necessity. Smith was released and has since signed with the Denver Broncos, while Colledge remains unsigned in free agency and likely won't be fielding any phone calls anytime soon.
The time has come for the Dolphins to trust Turner, whether it's at left guard or right guard. One of those positions will be filled on draft day, and Turner should fill the other.
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Will Davis, Cornerback/Safety
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There will be a big battle in Miami's secondary for that second cornerback spot.
Jamar Taylor, who performed well at times in 2014 prior to injury, will be a part of the battle. The Dolphins might also use the draft to fortify the position.
Another option, and one who will get plenty of opportunities, is Will Davis.
Davis won't just get opportunities at cornerback, he could very well get a chance to play the safety spot alongside Reshad Jones. Davis took some snaps in place of Jones last season while Jones was serving his four-game suspension.
In 2014, Davis showed he could play. His Pro Football Focus grade was minus-2.3, but a bad game against Oakland (graded at minus-1.9) was the primary reason his grade was so low.
He'd finish the year with three pass deflections and 17 tackles, but an injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 finished his season and was part of an injury bloodbath that thinned out the secondary down the stretch.
Dion Sims, Tight End
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The Dolphins had a tight end in his second year with the team who didn't get on the field too much, playing 339 snaps in nine games.
Those were impactful snaps though, as he caught 18 passes on 33 targets for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Pro Football Focus graded him out at 2.1, but he graded out at minus-1.2 as a receiver, 1.7 as a pass-blocker and 1.1 as a run-blocker.
The next season, the loss of the starting tight end elevated the now-third-year tight end to the starting job. He would go on to catch 69 passes for 759 yards and six touchdowns while grading out at 0.6 via Pro Football Focus.
However, he improved to a 5.0 grade as a receiver and 0.2 as a pass-blocker, but he regressed to minus-6.1 as a run-blocker. In fairness, he didn't run block as much.
That is the Charles Clay story, and a reason why the Buffalo Bills fought so hard to sign him. It's also a reason why Miami didn't put up such a big fight to retain Clay.
Clay's story is a reference for the now-third-year tight end, Dion Sims.
What did he do in Year 2? Well, he was targeted 36 times, making 24 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns.
He played 522 snaps in 14 games, starting two of them (and in some games, he barely even played). His final Pro Football Focus grades: overall minus-1.9, minus-0.9 as a receiver, minus-1.8 as a pass-blocker and 0.8 as a run-blocker.
The only real difference other than getting more snaps is the fact that unlike Clay, Sims would play at times primarily as a blocker.
Save for the grades, these numbers are similar. I'm not going to predict that Sims will have this crazy breakout season like Clay did in 2013, but with the acquisition of Jordan Cameron, he doesn't have to.
Sims will get more targets and be used in plenty of two-tight end snaps. He'll find himself open on many of them as well, with Cameron, Jarvis Landry, new acquisition Kenny Stills and any potential draft pick or free-agent signing getting the majority of the defense's attention.
Sims will have to step up for the Dolphins in 2015, and there's no reason to not be confident that he will.
Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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