Miami Dolphins training camp preview: WR’s

The Miami Dolphins will enter the 2015 training camp with 13 wide-receivers on their roster. Five maybe six receivers will make the roster which makes this an interesting competition at the bottom of the roster while the top of the roster seems entrenched as the top five players.

Kenny Stills was brought in from a trade and the Dolphins spent a first round pick on DeVante Parker. They also added veteran Greg Jennings and will see another season of Jarvis Landry from the slot. The Dolphins receivers may not be the best in the league but they have plenty of potential to make huge gains in the 2015 season and will all contribute to an offense that could be in line for a top 15 unit in the NFL.

While no single receiver stands out as “the” guy, like a Brandon Marshall or Mike Wallace, Miami’s offense is more geared towards spreading the ball around and each contributing similarly. It’s the kind of group that teams like to have. All above average but no single standout. It will make the offense better. Or it should.

Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, Greg Jennings, and DeVante Parker are locks to make the final 53 but things get dicey after that making the competition for the fifth and possibly sixth spot on the team a true training camp battle. Parker will not be ready for the start of the camp which will give other players more time to impress the coaching staff.

Tommy Streater

Streater spent some time last year with the Dolphins but didn’t make an impact. This year the Dolphins are hoping to see him elevate his game further. Streater can also return kicks but hasn’t impacted special teams either. He will face a lot of competition on special teams and more at WR. Streater is still raw which is not good for a player drafted in 2012. Streater was a 6th round pick of the Ravens but didn’t make the roster.

He was picked up by the Buccaneers who put him on the practice squad but was released and in August of 2014 the Dolphins added him to their roster on the practice squad where he was later released. He was signed by Jacksonville where he would be active for one game before becoming a free agent this off-season where the Dolphins brought him back. It’s been an uphill climb and the hill is still in front of him.

Michael Preston

Preston has ten receptions for 96 yards in his two seasons in the NFL, both with the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins signed Preston this off-season as an insurance policy to WR depth should the draft not go their way. Preston is going to find it difficult to crack the game day roster if he can crack the 53 man roster.

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Tyler McDonald

McDonald is entering his 1st season and his only real hope is impressing the coaches enough to make the practice squad. In a deep offensive unit, McDonald will struggle to get reps in practice with anyone but the 3rd and fourth teams.

Nigel King

The Kansas rookie, like McDonald will be fighting for a practice squad placement and the Dolphins practice squad team usually carries one or two WR’s but this year it will be especially difficult for un-drafted players to find a way in given the teams depth at the position.

Christion Jones

A product of Alabama, Jones is a player that the coaches like. He has good speed and good hands but not great at either. He runs decent routes but needs to develop as more rounded player. There is a lot of potential with Jones and the Dolphins are hoping to see some of that shine in training camp.

LaRon Byrd

Byrd is entering his third NFL season after playing one year in Arizona where he caught one pass in the two games he appeared in, and in Cleveland last year where he dressed for one game. Byrd is another player that has a lot to build on but is looking at his NFL career ending before it could ever get started.

Damarr Aultman

A rookie out of Maine, Aultman is a camp body that can only hope for a practice squad spot on an NFL roster. He will find it difficult without a good camp to make the Dolphins PS unit.

Matt Hazel

Hazel has been with the Dolphins now for a full season after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 draft. He is an exciting player who has a lot of potential and the Dolphins seem to like what he has to offer. That does not however make him a lock to make the roster. His biggest competition however will be Rishard Matthews.

Rishard Matthews

Of all the players not listed as a lock, Matthews has the most playing time and has contributed to the offense on game day. That does not make him a lock to make the roster. He does however have in his favor the fact that the Dolphins refused to grant his request for trade earlier in the off-season. The Dolphins view Matthews as a productive player and he has a very good chance of making the final 53 and contributing on game days as the 5th WR.

PREDICTIONS

The competition for the final two roster spots will come down to how well Matt Hazel and Rishard Matthews perform. Both players are fighting for playing time on game day and both are in a very good position to eliminate the competition below them.

Hazel has the best chance to make the final 53 in my opinion given the problems that Matthews has had with the coaching staff in the past, including an ill-timed unsportsmanlike conduct penalty last season. Matthews needs to check his ego at the door to camp and just play football. He can look really good on one play and then seem to lose his focus on the next. If he want’s to make the roster he needs to do a better job of keeping his mind in the game.

Barring injury the WR competition really comes down to who can show enough to make the practice squad and extend his career in Miami. With four spots gone to Stills, Jennings, Landry, and Parker and the final two likely between Matthews, Hazel, and possibly Michael Preston, the rest of the group are looking to impress other teams as well. Of the “others” listed, I think Christion Jones has the best chance to make the PS unit.