Miami Dolphins: Lynn Bowden Jr. should make roster over Preston Williams

Miami Dolphins: Lynn Bowden Jr.’s versatility

The main argument for Preston Williams making the final roster has much to do with his size. Standing 6 feet 5 inches, he is easily the tallest player on the Dolphins’ wide receiver depth chart. He has a solid two inches on Ezukanma and three on Sanu, and would likely be Miami’s “Go up and get it” guy now that DeVante Parker is gone.

But aside from his height and build, there may not be many things that Williams does better than Bowden.

Bowden is not the quickest or shiftiest of the WRs, and his hands and catching ability don’t come with the same pedigree as someone like Mike Gesicki. But he does a bit of everything, and he does it pretty darn well. He was a Swiss army knife during his time in college, playing essentially every offensive skill position for Kentucky, including returning kicks.

And while his time in the NFL has been short, he has been able to put his versatility on display in whatever opportunities he’s had. Late in the 2020 season, Bowden was used at both running back and wide receiver, and even had his number called to throw the ball, though the play was sniffed out by the defense. Over a three-game stretch in December, he caught 17 balls on 20 targets for 160 yards and added 22 rushing yards.

Bowden achieved those solid numbers while often being the third or fourth option on the offense, an offense that was below average at best and anemic most often.

If a Brian Flores-led coaching staff can get that type of production out of Lynn Bowden Jr., imagine what Mike McDaniel and his crew can do to maximize his potential.