Miami’s receiving corp needs to deliver on their potential in 2020

The Miami Dolphins receivers must reach their potential.

The Miami Dolphins receiving corp has the potential to be good next season. They will need to reach those heights for the team to be successful.

The Miami Dolphins have had quite an interesting offseason. The moves have been well documented, both those in the draft and in free agency, and because of those moves, the Dolphins are in a good position to have a solid 2020 season.

The defense should be much improved next season, as the Dolphins spent considerable capital on that side of the ball. They also spent a number of picks overhauling the offensive line and traded for some running back depth.

The one area they didn’t address in overwhelming fashion was their wide receiver group.  This tells me that they are interested in seeing how the talent they currently have at the position pans out over the 2020 season.

The Dolphins, on paper, have what could be a solid wide-out group next year. DeVante Parker finally developed into the type of player that he was expected to become after being a first-round selection. He put together 1,202 yards with 9 touchdowns (per Pro-Football-Reference), both of which could have been higher if the team gelled faster at the start of the year. This was a quality performance for a guy who many had already labeled a bust.

The expectation is that Parker should continue to thrive with Brian Flores and under new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey system. Parker is no longer the question mark he was, but what about the other guys on the roster? Unfortunately, this is where things tend to get a little trickier.

After Parker, the Dolphins have guys like Preston Williams, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, Allen Hurns and Isaiah Ford, joined by younger, less experienced players like Kirk Merritt, Gary Jennings and Ricardo Louis. All of these players have shown flashes of good football, but they all have had either injury issues or problems with inconsistency.

Preston Williams showed that he could compete at this level after going undrafted last year. His ACL injury shut down a promising campaign, but he should be back to full strength going into training camp, where he should lock down the number 2 spot.

Then, we should see a mix of speedsters thrown into the mix with Wilson and Grant. Both of these players, however, have struggled with injury throughout their careers with the Dolphins. There is no denying that they are both electric players going when they are on the field. They just need to be on the field to make those plays.

After Wilson and Grant, it should be a toss-up between the remaining names to see who can make the roster. I would assume that Ford has the best shot at rounding out the depth chart, but it’s hard to say since we haven’t seen anyone compete at this point in the year.

If that ends up being the receiving depth chart (Parker, Williams, Wilson, Grant, and Ford), then Miami could have a very solid corp of receivers if everyone stays healthy and continues to develop in ways similar to what we saw last year. They will need to play consistent, effective football throughout the entire season and stay healthy, especially when the coaching staff decides to give Tua Tagovailoa the chance to start.

I think this has to be one of the keys to success for this Dolphins team next season. The receiving group will need to be playing at a high level to help ease Tagovailoa into the starting role. As the offseason months go on, it seems more and more likely that Tagovailoa plays at some point this season, barring any injury concerns. If that happens, he will need a reliable group of pass catchers to get open consistently and help him build confidence, not destroy it.

Again, on paper, this unit should be strong going into the 2020 season, and I truly believe this unit will be a position of strength for the team. This unit has incredible potential to be good next season and the Dolphins will need them to be if they plan on developing Tagovailoa into the next Dolphins superstar.