Miami Dolphins First Half Grades: Wide-Receivers

The Miami Dolphins have gotten a lot of production from their offense in the last four weeks and a lot of that has to do with their group of wide-receivers. In the first quarter of the season we graded them out as a C+ and most of that was on the shoulders of Mike Wallace but the grade was hindered by continued dropped passes.

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Now that the season is half way through we get a clearer look at what the Dolphins receivers have done and there is no question that their success on the field can be directly attributed to the play and success of QB Ryan Tannehill.

Mike Wallace:

Wallace isn’t putting up great numbers but he is getting consistent numbers. Wallace is a far more rounded WR than at any time in his career. He is a legitimate dual threat who can cut the middle, play the outside, and still go deep and he continues his physical play. Wallace is now playing like a number one WR and while he had a huge outburst in the locker room following the victory in Jacksonville, it’s apparent that he is becoming a vocal leader as his outburst was directed at the poor play and slow start of the offense instead of anything remotely selfish.

Brandon Gibson:

Gibson is no longer starting in the slot but is still a viable option in the four receiver set but he is being pushed hard for playing time by Rishard Matthews. Gibson will be playing his final half season in Miami as it’s very unlikely that he will be brought back in 2015.

Rishard Matthews:

Matthews is still improving and caught his first TD pass of the season last week against San Diego. Matthews is simply watching and learning but when he is asked to make plays he has done so. Matthews is making a case for himself long term in Miami but he will need a lot more reps to make that happen.

Brian Hartline: 

Hartline is almost non-existent. Not quite but almost. With the Dolphins finding ways to get the ball to so many other outlets Hartline is not longer the go-to receiver for Ryan Tannehill. He still has a lot of value because he is hard to cover and defenses need to be aware of the potential with him. He is still an excellent third down target and while his numbers are dipping slightly along with his targets, he is a perfect 2nd WR in this offense.

Jarvis Landry:

If you weren’t impressed with Landry in the first quarter of the season then you have to love the guy now. He is doing nothing more than attacking defenses and making plays. With each passing week Landry adds something else to his game. He is getting faster and quicker and developing a better understanding of reading NFL schemes. Landry is positioning himself for a long NFL career and potentially Pro-Bowl elections in the future.

Overall the Miami Dolphins wide-receivers have played leaps and bounds over what they showed in the first quarter and for that they improve from the C+ to an A.

TIGHT ENDS

Let’s make this simple. The first quarter the TE’s were nonexistent and now Charles Clay has returned to health and to his 2013 form. The early grade was a D we bump that to a B but know that could skyrocket a lot higher as the team begins to integrate them into the offensive scheme more and more.