Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami WR position in need of an upgrade
(Note: This is the fifth entry in our eightpart position-by-position look at the Miami Dolphins’ options when free agency begins on March 15.)
DeVante Parker’s production took a slight step backwards after his breakout 2019 season, and the Miami Dolphins sorely missed Preston Williams down the stretch due to injury.
By the final month of the 2020 season, the Dolphins relied on rookie Lynn Bowden Jr., return specialist Jakeem Grant, backup Mack Hollins, and needed to re-sign Isaiah Ford to boost the available targets in the passing game for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
And it led to this realization as the Dolphins fell one game shy of the playoffs last season: Miami — whether through free agency, the 2021 NFL draft, or both — must upgrade its wide receiver position during the 2021 offseason.
Players under contract
Parker, who had 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns while playing in all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2019, produced 63 catches for 793 yards with four touchdowns in 14 games while battling a hamstring injury last season. He has three years left on his contract.
Williams, who has seven career touchdowns, will enter his third season. Bowden
will enter his second season looking for his first career touchdown. He had 28 catches for 211 yards in 10 games last season. Both players come at bargains, with each set to earn $800,000 in 2021.
Grant, who the Dolphins covet in the return game, has three years remaining on his deal but could see his contract restructured. If not, the Dolphins could cut him after June 1 and save $4 million in salary cap space for the next three years despite $600,000 in dead money.
Veterans Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID19, and are still under contract heading into the 2021 season. Hurns is owed $1.8 million in salary next season, while $1 million of Wilson’s $2.1 million is guaranteed next season.
Kirk Merritt, a rookie who played in one game last season, signed a futures contract and should be in training camp this fall.
Free agents
Ford, a former seventh-round pick by the Dolphins who has bounced from the practice squad to active roster numerous times during his three-year career, is a free agent.
So is Hollins, who had 16 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown in his second season with Miami last year.
Free agent fits available
Receiver like Allen Robinson and JuJu Smith-Schuster could be expensive in the free-agent market, and Chris Godwin could receive a lucrative deal if not given the franchise tag by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Others like Curtis Samuel, Marvin Jones, T.Y. Hilton, Corey Davis, Nelson Agholor, Tim Patrick, David Moore and Chris Conley are among many intriguing free-agent options.
The Dolphins could also be in play for any standout receivers cut by their teams due to salary cap restrictions this offseason.
Draft landscape
LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle could be among the Top 12 picks in the NFL draft, while Florida’s Kadarius Toney, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Purdue’s Rondale Moore could get some consideration in the first round.
If the Dolphins maximize the value of their No. 3 pick and trade down with a quarterback-needy team, they could still end up with one of the top three receivers.
Position outlook
Expect the Dolphins to overhaul the receiver position, hoping to add at least a draft pick and a free agent this offseason. The Dolphins could also use the rest of the offseason to tinker with players who could boost their receiver depth.
Tagovailoa’s development at quarterback is among the forefront of goals for the Dolphins to accomplish in 2021, and Miami needs talented playmakers in the passing game for that improvement to occur during his second season.