Leonte Carroo making a case for his Miami Dolphins future

The end of the Leonte Carroo experiment looked like a foregone conclusion heading into the 2018 season, but he’s played well in recent weeks, and one has to wonder could he be in Miami’s future plans?

In 2016, the Miami Dolphins front office puzzled everyone on Day 2 of the NFL Draft when they moved back up into the 3rd round to select WR Leonte Carroo. The Dolphins had already taken RB Kenyan Drake with their initial 3rd round selection, and it appeared that their night was over. To the surprise of many, however, Miami made a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to move back in. Parting ways with their 6th round pick, along with their 3rd & 4th round selections in 2017 appeared to be a pretty steep price for a late 3rd round pick.

What made it all more puzzling was that the Dolphins made the move to grab another wide receiver in Leonte Carroo. With Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, and Kenny Stills, all on the roster at that time, wide receiver was not even on the radar as a need for Miami. The fact that the Dolphins moved up in the draft to take one really rubbed people the wrong way.

Through no fault of his own, Miami’s move reflected on to Carroo as fans would immediately have an unpopular opinion of him before even setting foot on the field. After a pretty good college career, Carroo would have to showcase his talents to sway those opinions. That never even came close to happening.

Carroo was merely a ghost in his first two seasons with the Dolphins, recording just 10 receptions for 98 yards, and a touchdown over that two year span. Players selected in the mid rounds are not typically labeled as “busts”, but more misses than anything else when things don’t pan out. Considering what the Dolphins gave up to snag Carroo, however, he was definitely labeled a bust, and it was widely believed that he would not make the final roster for the Dolphins in 2018.

After trading Landry away to Cleveland, Miami signed both Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola in the offseason to pair with Stills and Parker. Jakeem Grant, who the Dolphins also drafted in 2016 in the 6th round, to initially become the team’s return specialist, continued to show improvements in his first two seasons as a receiver, and as a result was a lock to make Miami’s final 53 man roster. With five players ahead of him on the depth chart, it was all but assured that Carroo wouldn’t make the cut, and that’s exactly what happened.

However, to the surprise of some, Miami decided to place Carroo on their practice squad instead of fully cutting him loose. The decision may have not made a lot of sense at the time, but with the amount of injuries that the Dolphins have endured over the season, it appears to have been the right decision.

Miami has had to deal with an abnormal amount of injuries this year, and it’s had a major effect on their wide receivers. Both Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant are out for the remainder of the season, with their respective injuries. DeVante Parker has been DeVante Parker with one injury after another, as he never seems to be fully healthy, or he just prepares you for the next injury. Kenny Stills was banged up with a groin injury earlier in the year, and he may still not be at full health.

Ironically, it’s been Danny Amendola, a player with a history of injuries, who had been the healthiest of the group, but a knee injury last week against the Colts derailed that too. The vast amount of injuries forced the Dolphins to activate Carroo up to the main roster a month ago ahead of their week 8 matchup against the Texans.

Since the call up, Carroo has made the best of his opportunity. By now, everyone has seen his 74-yard touchdown catch where he mossed Colts CB Pierre Desir on an underthrown ball from Ryan Tannehill. It was Carroo’s only catch of the game, but no doubt, a huge one that gave the Dolphins momentum into halftime after the defense had just surrendered the second Colts touchdown of the game.

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In Miami’s previous game against Green Bay ahead of the bye week, Carroo made a big impact for the Dolphins on special teams. On a Dolphins fake punt, Carroo ran the ball for 14 yards, gaining the necessary first down. He also recovered the ball on a blocked punt later in the game, and recovered a Packers fumble on a punt return.

Although the Dolphins lost that game by a considerable margin, 31-12, the big play ability surely got the attention of special teams coach Darren Rizzi, and the rest of the coaching staff. His long touchdown reception this past Sunday further claimed his case as a player with big play capability, and one that was worth that reach in the 3rd round two and half years ago.

So what does this all mean for Carroo going forward? Is he finally making his case to turnaround his career? And could we see him in a Dolphins uniform past 2018? With five games remaining in the regular season, it’s likely too early to tell, but Carroo will continue with his opportunity to prove that he belongs in the NFL.

Whether that’s with the Dolphins or not will be determined down the road. It should be noted that the entire time that Carroo was on Miami’s practice squad that not one other team came in to scoop him up. Not even New England, who had their share of wide receiver troubles early in the season with the Julian Edelman suspension, and prior to the trade of acquiring Josh Gordon.

Now teams are more likely to keep their eyes on Carroo, even if they are only interested for special teams purposes. Miami knows him best, however, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out into next season. The Dolphins don’t exactly have an elite group of receivers, although it is a pretty good group when healthy.

Wilson, Stills, and Grant, are pretty much certain to be back in 2019. Parker, on the other hand, has to have seen his last days in Miami, and it’s uncertain whether or not they elect to bring back Amendola. Regardless, there will be at least one spot for Carroo to fight for if Miami wants to give him another shot.

Heading into this season, Carroo was in a battle with fellow wideout Isaiah Ford for the potential 6th wide receiver spot. In the end, both were sent to the practice squad. However, they both now find themselves on the active roster as Jakeem Grant was officially placed on IR on Wednesday, and Ford was called up as a result. We could see another battle between the two fighting for their futures.

It’s too early to project the status of Carroo in 2019, but you have to give him some credit for making the best of his opportunity thus far. He credits Kenny Stills with helping him on his diet and exercise. He’s also continued to study his playbook throughout the year, even as a member of the practice squad. Carroo may not be the fastest player on the field, but he’s always viewed himself as a great player. He has at least five more games to prove that’s true.