Tannehill confident in receivers despite loss of Landry to Browns
QB says he likes mix of holdovers, new additions to squad.
DAVIE — Jarvis Landry was Ryan Tannehill’s most popular target over the last few years, and seeing him go to Cleveland in the offseason couldn’t have been fun for the quarterback.
In four years with the Dolphins, all but last season being with Tannehill, Landry piled up 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns on 400 catches. No player in NFL history has caught that many passes in his first four seasons, and Landry was always Tannehill’s emergency option.
From 2014 through ’16, he was targeted a team-high 409 times, and last year’s quarterbacks threw 161 of their 602 attempts (27 percent) his way.
“Losing Jarvis is tough,” Tannehill said Wednesday. “He’s a heck of a competitor. He’s one of the most competitive guys on the football field. He loves the game. He loves playing. He loves competing. He loves winning. I think everyone saw that.
“Obviously he’s not the easiest guy to replace, but I’m really excited about the guys that we brought in. I think we’ve brought in veteran guys, guys that have played at high levels, guys that have played for championships and can really help us.”
While the Dolphins still have Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker, they’ve replaced Landry with the duo of up-and-comer Albert Wilson and veteran Danny Amendola. They combined for 103 receptions, 1,213 yards and five touchdowns last year with Kansas City and New England, respectively.
Tannehill already has gotten extensive work with Amendola this year. They did some passing workouts away from the facility in March, and Tannehill found that he lived up to his reputation as a worker.
“That’s the first thing that impressed me is just how hard he works day in and day out,” he said. “He’ll just keep going, keep going, keep going and he’ll never question, look tired or anything. He just keeps going. He’s been a lot of fun to play with so far and we just have to keep building that relationship and get fully on the same page.”
Swagger on the O-line: Offensive linemen, as a whole, have often basked in anonymity. For years, the Denver Broncos’ linemen wouldn’t speak to the media.
Then along comes a guy like guard Josh Sitton. He’s new to Miami, but already, coach Adam Gase says some things are self-evident.
“You can see he’s a veteran player that has the type of swagger you want from an offensive lineman,” Gase said Wednesday. “He brings confidence with that group. He’s got something about him that’s probably different than a lot of guys that I’ve been around.”
For years, the Dolphins offensive line hasn’t exactly inspired confidence. Perhaps the additions of Sitton and center Daniel Kilgore will help change that.
“What’s swagger?” Sitton said when informed of Gase’s comments. “I don’t know about that one.”
Seriously, Sitton added, “All I know is I bring some veteran leadership and I know how to win in this league. I’ve done it for a long time and I think this whole group as an offensive line can be really good and that’s exciting. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
Once the regular season starts, the line, from left to right, could consist of tackle Laremy Tunsil, Sitton, Kilgore, guard Jesse Davis and tackle Ja’Wuan James.
“I don’t want to jump and say, ‘Here’s what it is. It’s locked in stone,’ ” Gase said. “It’s probably written more in pencil than pen right now.”
As things fall in place, we’re also starting to see the results of Gase’s concerted effort to improve the culture in the locker room.
Kilgore talked about how he and his family have bonded with Tannehill and his family. Sitton said shared time like that — away from the game — can be beneficial in the long run.
“We spend so much time here at work, just constantly talking about work,” Sitton said. “And to get out of here and just kind of BS about other things and get to know each other and get to know each other’s families, it just helps build that relationship. When you’re on the field, you can start trusting the guy next to you a little bit more.”