Jarvis Landry Showing Elite Potential for Miami Dolphins

It's not about the breakout game, it's about the follow-up. In that sense, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry still has work to do if he wants to insert himself in the discussion among the NFL's elite slot receivers.

That being said, he's one of the players in the league whom every general manager and head coach would love to have on the roster.

He proved as much in the Dolphins' 44-26 curb-stomping of the Houston Texans in Week 7. 

Landry finished the game with five receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns, but more than the numbers he posted was the electric playmaking potential he showed. 

Bobbing. Weaving. Dodging. Ducking. Dipping. Diving. Dodging.

Some players go a whole season without making as many defenders miss as Landry did in one play on Sunday. The NFL highlighted Landry's performance:

In the immortal words of LeBron James, not one, not two, not three, not four, not five. Six. Defenders. Missed. Landry.

That was just his first score of the day, and he wasn't done yet. He scored again in the first quarter, breaking through a tackle to reach the end zone, as the NFL noted:

Whether he's cutting through defenders or plowing through them, Landry is proving to be a tough runner to bring down. That's been the distinguishing trait that has helped him to prominence in the NFL. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Landry entered Week 7 with seven missed tackles as a receiver, tied for the ninth-most in the league. The league's leaders (Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman) had 11 each.

Depending on how PFF scores Landry's touchdown catch, he could lead the league in missed tackles coming out of Week 7.

This might have been a breakout game for Landry, but spectacular plays like this are becoming par for the course with the second-year LSU product at wide receiver. He was on the scoring end of a 22-yard Statue of Liberty touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans, where he evaded several defenders for the score. Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post noted, with this performance, Landry should finally "receive the national recognition he deserves":

So why is Landry just now entering the discussion of the NFL's premier wide receivers?

Maybe it's because the Dolphins are just now beginning to win with him as the featured threat on offense.

In that sense, it's up to Landry to continue producing, but it's also up to the Dolphins to continue winning. This appears to be a mutually beneficial partnership. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has the security blanket he needs in the slot. Landry has a chance to be a highly productive player for the Dolphins and one of the keys to their success.

So far, Landry is holding up his end of the bargain. He has caught 36 balls for 396 yards and two touchdowns this season, putting him on pace for roughly 96 receptions, 1,056 yards and five touchdowns this season. Those aren't the kind of groundbreaking numbers many people would expect from a "true" No. 1 receiver, but they are the dependable numbers that could put Landry in the discussion of the best slot receivers in the game.

It's a discussion he has already entered.