Why Kenny Stills' Return to Practice Is a Sigh of Relief for Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins put a lot of resources into revamping and upgrading their depth chart at wide receiver this offseason.

Until recently, the new-look pass-catching corps had a grim outlook. Rookie wide receiver DeVante Parker and veteran Kenny Stills were both on the shelf with injuries. Veteran Greg Jennings has shown some promise in practice, but his presence on the field was underwhelming given all the hype around Parker and Stills.

But now, the Dolphins appear to be getting closer to full strength at the position.

Stills missed two weeks of practice with a calf injury, but he made a big impact in his return to the practice field on Monday according to Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald. The most important thing he did was work with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. With so many new pieces on offense, the first-string unit needs to get as many reps together as possible.

Chemistry doesn't happen overnight, and Stills acknowledged that he has some catching up to do now that he's back. 

"I'm behind on a few things," he said, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "but I feel like I've got experience, I've played before, so I just have to get in there and try to make plays."

That's exactly what he did in his first practice since August 2. According to Perkins, Stills caught at least four first-down receptions, including one in a two-minute drill and another on a 35-yard deep strike. 

The quick rapport is a good sign for the offense overall, mainly because Stills has the potential to be the deep threat that the Dolphins have needed for years. That could mean that the Dolphins could have a whopping two deep threats at their disposal in the passing game in 2015, a number that once was unthinkable in the dink-and-dunk Dolphins offense.

"I thought he looked good," head coach Joe Philbin told the media after practice. "Obviously he's been working hard, doing what he's capable of doing, but it's good to get him out here and work on the route concepts and the timing with the other receivers and the quarterbacks. It was good to have him."

Of course it was good to have him. Over the past couple of weeks at practice, Tannehill has been throwing to Jennings, Rishard Matthews and other receivers who will likely spend a majority of the 2015 season watching from the bench. 

With Stills and Jarvis Landry both on the field, the Dolphins have two-thirds of their primary wide receiver corps back at practice.

"I think we've missed him, just seeing what he can do," Tannehill said after practice. "Actually, his highlight tape from college was playing in the weight room on the way out to practice today as we were warming up, so (it) got my excitement going a little bit, and then just seeing him out here, it was great."

Player	Yrs in NFL	Yrs in MIA
Jarvis Landry	1	1
Kenny Stills	2	0
DeVante Parker	R	0
Greg Jennings	9	0
Rishard Matthews	3	3

Parker will be back in time for the regular season, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

Meanwhile, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports that Parker was seen "jogging (slowly)" at practice on Monday, which is the "first [reporters] have seen of that" since Parker's surgery. Philbin still said that the team is taking it "a day at a time" with regard to putting Parker back on the field in full capacity, but he's taking steps in the right direction.

Whenever he's back to 100 percent, all 11 players on the Dolphins offense can really start to mesh.

For now, though, it's important for Stills to mesh with Tannehill. The best way to do that is in game action. Philbin said it's "definitely too early" to tell whether Stills can can play in the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, but he indicated that the team will get a look at him in practice and evaluate from there. 

Even as Stills fights back from injury, there are things Philbin is looking to learn about the veteran deep threat.

"Play speed, getting in and out of the huddle, getting lined up," Philbin said. "It's been a while since he's been out here actively with his teammates, fitting into the scheme, understanding the adjustments versus different coverages. It's great to sit in the meetings and it's great to learn from others. But experience is the best teacher when you get out there and do it yourself."

Stills will finally get that experience now that he has returned to the practice field, which can only mean good things in the future for the Dolphins offense. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.