Miami Dolphins: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at WR
The Miami Dolphins have almost completely overhauled their depth chart at wide receiver this offseason by parting ways with all their veteran talent from last year and bringing in some young, fresh faces with a little more athleticism.
It's quite a literal translation of "out with the old, in with the new."
With the changes, however, there are also a lot of other things that need to be taken into consideration. First and foremost, the Dolphins must work all their new receivers into the offense by getting them on the same page with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but the synchronization must also come with getting familiarized with the verbiage, the play calls and the other nuances of the system.
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Indeed, just because the Dolphins have made changes for the better does not mean they will immediately be better than they were last year. These things take time. Even New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took a few weeks to get familiar with a brand-new cast of characters on offense at the beginning of the 2013 season.
So here's a look at all the weapons Tannehill will have at his disposal at wide receiver this coming year.
DeVante Parker
The Dolphins used a first-round draft choice on DeVante Parker, presumably because they know the importance of having a big-bodied deep threat who can give the Dolphins their first true X receiver since the days of Brandon Marshall came to an end in 2011.
Now, with the possession of a 6'3", 209-pound pass-catcher on the perimeter, the Dolphins have a threat at their disposal they haven't had in three years—of course, that's assuming he's ready for Week 1 following foot surgery.
According to Dolphins president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald), Parker "should be ready to go" for opening day.
The Dolphins sure hope so. Parker has hauled in 138 passes for 2,484 yards and 27 touchdowns in the past three seasons at Louisville. If he can bring some of that productivity to the Dolphins, he'll make them a better offense immediately. That being said, now that he's had surgery on his foot, the Dolphins should be managing their early-season expectations.
Kenny Stills
The Dolphins added wide receivers by every conceivable means: the draft, free agency and trades. By sending linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a draft pick to the New Orleans Saints, they added a dynamic young pass-catcher in Kenny Stills.
Stills exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2013 with 32 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns in his first year in the league. Of course, the transition will always be easier for a wide receiver catching passes from a decorated quarterback like Drew Brees, but Stills improved on his numbers in 2014 with 63 catches for 931 yards and three touchdowns his second year in the NFL.
At 6'0" and 193 pounds, Stills is not the physically imposing receiver that Parker is, but he has the ability to hurt a defense from anywhere on the field. Whether he's lined up on the outside or in the slot, whether he's running a short pattern, intermediate or deep route, opposing secondaries must be aware of his location, because if they are not, he can do some serious damage.
Stills will likely slot into Brian Hartline's old spot as a Z receiver, lining up either outside or inside and running short and intermediate routes, but Stills' speed and overall skill set make him a much better fit for Bill Lazor's offense than Hartline ever was.
Jarvis Landry
This is one wide receiver who needs very little—if any—introduction.
Former LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry burst onto the scene in 2014 as a rookie, leading the team in receptions with 84 while ranking second on the team in targets with 112. He didn't do much damage on a per-catch basis, averaging only nine yards per reception, but defenses always had to be aware of his whereabouts on the field.
That's especially true since 22 of Landry's 84 receptions were on third down, and nearly 38 percent of those receptions were turned into a first down, according to Pro Football Reference.
With defenses focusing more of their attention on the boundary threats such as Stills and Parker, the Dolphins could get even more mileage out of Landry this year thanks to the added cushion he will likely have underneath. That's also true since Landry is one of the only wide receivers with whom Tannehill already has chemistry.
Every team needs a good insurance policy.
Veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings is exactly that for the Dolphins, and given his familiarity with head coach Joe Philbin, it's no surprise that Jennings wound up in Miami. The two spent five years together with the Green Bay Packers when Philbin was offensive coordinator from 2007-2011.
Jennings is not the same receiver he was back then—far from it, in fact. From 2009-2011, Jennings notched 211 catches for 3,327 yards and 25 touchdowns. From 2012-2014, he's pulled in 163 catches for 1,912 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Dolphins will probably not get the '09-'11 version of Jennings, but even if they only get the '12-'14 version, that should be enough. If they need anything more than that out of him, their offense is probably in big trouble already.
Rishard Matthews
Rishard Matthews is the forgotten man in the Dolphins' wide receiver group.
The 6'0", 212-pound Matthews is entering his fourth year in the NFL, and he's never had a true opportunity to seize a starting role. He came on strong in 2013 when given an opportunity to fill in for an injured Brandon Gibson, and finished that year with 41 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns, but he immediately went back to the bottom of the depth chart in 2014.
All the while, there have been reports that he doesn't get along with his coaches, and that he's repeatedly asked for a trade or a release—the most recent of those reports was on May 7, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
The Dolphins will likely not ask Matthews to be much more than a rotational piece on their offense. Who knows, if he is outperformed by someone like Nigel King or Tommy Streeter at training camp, or if someone shows more value on special teams, he may never have an opportunity to show the full potential of what he can do for the Dolphins offense.
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