It goes without saying, but Erik Ezukanma is entering his most critical year with the Miami Dolphins, and his NFL career could be on the line as well. Now, this year's training camp will be his biggest competition for him.
Nothing for EZ-E will come easy this year. He faces an uphill battle to make the roster after nearly losing his football career to injury last year. He's cleared to practice fully, and the Dolphins' third-year WR is hoping that this will be his best camp that will lead to an impact on the field.
Will Erik Ezukanma make the Week 1 roster for the Dolphins?
After two seasons, Ezukanma has made little impact on game days despite looking good in camp. This year, he will enter camp with two rookies chasing his roster spot and two veterans looking to hold their spots over him.
Barring injury, the Dolphins will have three spots locked down the day they start camp. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham, Jr. are the locks to make the team. It gets a lot murkier after those three. The Dolphins could keep as many as seven WRs, and that would bode well for Ezukanma's chances, but six is more likely the number with the practice squad filling out the rest of the unit.
Miami will likely carry Braxton Berrios as the No. 4 WR, leaving River Cracraft, Ezukanma, Tahj Washington, and Malik Washington competing for the final two jobs. Of the two rookies, Malik Washington has a good chance to make the final 53 and Tahj Washington is a candidate for the practice squad.
In reality, the competition for the final spot could come down to Cracraft and Ezukanma. This is where Ezukanma needs to be at his best. Cracraft isn't a burner WR, but he is a good route runner who is consistent and can get open.
If Ezukanma can take a big step forward, he will have a legit shot to take one of those final three WR jobs, but his margin for error isn't big and this year the competition is going to be tight. Will he get the job done? We'll find out soon enough.