Dolphins’ receiver is ready to work
Jennings says he will have an impact.
DAVIE — As Greg Jennings prepares for his first season with the Dolphins, he isn’t yet sure what his precise role will be in the offense.
But the veteran wide receiver has no doubt he’ll make an impact.
“I know I’m going to be productive,” Jennings, 31, said during the team’s minicamp last month. “My mindset of what production is doesn’t always correlate to statistics — that’s the difference.”
Jennings acknowledges that his responsibilities in his 10th NFL season will include mentoring a receiver group that also features Jarvis Landry (second season), Kenny Stills (third season) and firstround pick DeVante Parker.
He also feels he can learn something from his new teammates.
“I’ve always felt like I had a teaching role, and I’ve always felt like I’ve postured myself as a student as well,” said Jennings, who joined the Dolphins on a two-year, $8 million deal in April. “You know, I tell the young guys too, it’s not a one-way street. I’m not the only teacher in this room. We have coaches, we have players that are very smart. I can learn from each and every one of those guys if I really posture myself to learn.
“I truly believe the moment that I stop and prevent myself from doing that, I stop evolving as a person first and foremost, and then as a player.”
Jennings’ presence has already been felt, whether it’s helping young players improve the way they watch film or how they carry
themselves as professionals.
“It’s always good to have that experience in the room. It’s always good when a guy can refer back to his past years to a younger guy and be a testimony for us,” said Landry, who led the Dolphins with 84 receptions as a rookie last season. “And I think that’s one of the things that Greg is doing, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s here.”
Jennings, a two-time Pro Bowler who has averaged 14.6 yards per reception for his career, was released by the Minnesota Vikings this offseason after they acquired Mike Wallace from the Dolphins.
He’s confident he can still be a valuable player but said his motivation to show that is mostly internal.
“I think every year you have something to prove,” Jennings said, “not to any outsiders, but just to myself that I can still play this game at a high level. That I can have fun, I can be effective. That I can learn, I can teach, I can do all of those things that a player is called upon to do.”
So far he’s been everything Dolphins coach Joe Philbin expected. He’s looked sharp in drills and has been on the same page with quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
“I think Greg has had a good camp,” Philbin said. “I think he’s caught on to the offense really well.”
Philbin was Jennings’ offensive coordinator for five years in Green Bay — in- cluding in 2011 when they won Super Bowl XLV — and he advocated for Jennings to join the Dolphins this spring. Ultimately, the decision to come to Miami was based on what was best for Jennings’ family, but he acknowledged that Philbin played a large part as well.
“He gave me a few phone calls, a few text messages,” Jennings said, laughing, “but you know I’ve always been quite fond of coach Philbin ... forget the coaching, just as a man, as a human being.”
Entering 2015, Jennings’ 63 career touchdown receptions rank 10th among active wide receivers. (Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals tops that list with 89.)
Jennings finished his two-year stint in Minnesota with 127 catches for 1,546 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also showed some of his leadership in working with young Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
That leadership has already made an impression on Dolphins players on both sides of the ball.
“You learn from him just by the way he carries himself,” defensive back Michael Thomas said. “You know, he’s a natural-born leader. He doesn’t have to come in and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m a vet, I’m proven winner, you know, I’m a champion.’ You just see it. The way he carries himself, the way he practices on the field, it makes you want to play better for him.”