The Miami Dolphins are close to wrapping up what has been, at the very least, a productive offseason of bringing in new talent. The 2015 NFL Draft is now a thing of the past, and the results are in: experts tend to think the Dolphins did a pretty great job over the three days.
2015 NFL depth chart: Dolphins’ offensive rebuild bolsters skill positions
The Miami Dolphins have a problem at receiver, but it’s a good problem to have after a productive offseason at the position.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
As far as free agency is concerned, everyone will first point to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as the player to watch next season, but the Dolphins are wrapping up a massive rebuild of offensive talent, all in an effort to help quarterback Ryan Tannehill succeed.
Miami went out and signed tight end Jordan Cameron and wide receiver Greg Jennings in free agency, and also put together a trade with the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Kenny Stills. Those moves alone should have any Dolphins fans excited to see what the offense looks like in 2015, but the Dolphins also stuck with the offense in the NFL Draft, which just wrapped up on Saturday.
Picking No. 14 overall, the Dolphins took Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker in the first round, instantly creating something of a crowded situation at the wide receiver position. In the fifth round, the Dolphins may have taken the steal of the draft in Boise State running back Jay Ajayi. Fourth-round guard Jamil Douglas of Arizona State certainly helps as well.
Here’s how the positions look following free agency and the draft:
Tight End
There's one thing for certain we can gather at this point: Cameron will be the starting tight end, because there's not much competition for him on the roster. The Dolphins have Dion Sims and Jake Stoneburner, but they don't compare to what Cameron brings to the table.
Sims caught just 24 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns last season. Charles Clay was Miami’s starting tight end a season ago, catching 58 passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns, but he’s now with the Bills. There won’t be a position battle of any kind here -- Cameron caught 24 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns last season, and had 917 yards and seven touchdowns the season before that.
Wide receiver
At wide receiver, most Miami fans probably felt like the team was going to enter next season with Jennings and Stills set as starters and on paper, they could do a whole lot worse. Jennings only caught 59 passes for 742 yards and six touchdowns with the Minnesota Vikings last season, but Tannehill is a more established quarterback than Teddy Bridgwater and Jennings has a history of being a dominant receiver. Stills came up just short of 1,000 receiving yards in 15 games with the Saints last season as well.
Then there's Jarvis Landry, entering his second season after a rookie campaign that saw him catch 84 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns with Miami. At this point, there are four players, counting Parker, with the ability to be starting receivers, but only room for two of them. It's safe to assume that Miami will try a lot of three-wide sets, but seeing how it breaks down between the top two will be something to watch for in 2015.
Stills and Landry make this situation more complicated. Do you play them over a veteran like Jennings, who might have a better shot against top-tier defensive backs simply because they’re younger and have a higher potential ceiling? It’s an interesting problem, but probably a good one to have if you’re the Dolphins.
Running back
Ajayi is an intriguing selection at the running back position. In a draft that was excellent at the position, Ajayi is a player who likely caught the attention of any team sniffing at the position, though they may have been scared away by his injury history. Ajayi is far from a sure thing due to his surgically repaired right knee, but he's as talented as any rookie in this class. If he winds up being healthy, he should be able to push Lamar Miller for snaps early and often.
Miller came into his own last season, carrying the ball 216 times for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns -- a per-carry average of 5.1 yards. Although few put running back on the list of Miami’s needs this offseason, Ajayi could legitimately take the position to the next level. Miller won’t want to share carries after successfully knocking off both Knowshon Moreno and Daniel Thomas, but he may not have a choice once Ajayi gets going.
Even though Miami has a lot to figure out on the offensive side of the ball, its “problems” are good ones to have. A surplus of potential starters at wide receiver and solid contributors otherwise is not an unenviable position, and it all happened over the span of one offseason. This team could surprise in the AFC East next season.
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