NFL Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins’ Receiving Corps May Get Much-Needed Facelift In 2015

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Just a mere two seasons ago, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was coming off his rookie season and struggled for the most part due to the lack of receiving talent that surrounded him. Former Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland had a large amount of money to spend and there was a shiny weapon on the free agent market just waiting to get paid.

That shiny weapon was former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace. Ireland and head coach Joe Philbin were quick to offer a five-year, $60 million contract that Wallace gladly accepted. All were excited to see what he could do in terms of helping Tannehill progress within the Dolphins’ offense.

Fast forward two seasons later and we have our answer: The Wallace-to-Tannehill experiment hasn’t panned out the way many projected. While Tannehill has progressed immensely over the past two seasons, the chemistry (specifically in the deep passing game) with Wallace has yet come to fruition.

On a number of occasions, Wallace has stated how frustrated he is with his role in the Dolphins’ offensive scheme, most notably in the 2014 season finale against the New York Jets when he reportedly quit on the team. Many believe he and Tannehill had a disagreement on the number of targets he was receiving.

If you look at Wallace’s numbers, they’re not horrible but they’re not up to par with his lucrative contract either. In his two seasons in South Florida, Wallace has 140 receptions, 1,792 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. Known for his deep threat ability, his longest receptions (57 yards in 2013, 50 in 2014) didn’t go for touchdowns.

If the Dolphins want to move on from Wallace this offseason, they’ll have multiple decisions to make throughout the rest of the position. If Wallace is gone, who does Tannehill throw to?

The obvious answer is Jarvis Landry. After being taken in the second round of last year’s draft, Landry came in as a rookie and took over as Tannehill’s favorite target, as evidenced by the 84 receptions he hauled in. But the offense can’t survive with just one slot receiver who averages under ten yards per reception.

How about guys like Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson and Rishard Matthews? After signing a new five-year, $30.77 deal in 2013, Hartline received a lot of scrutiny because of his production — or lack thereof — and it hasn’t gotten much better since. The way the contract was structured, however, gives Miami a sort of “out” scenario if he’s cut before June 1. Gibson was brought in, along with Wallace, in 2013 and has lost his spot in the offense to Landry after struggling with injuries. And Matthews, a third-year pro out of Nevada, regressed this past season after having somewhat of a breakout year in 2013. It also doesn’t help his case that he was a healthy scratch the final two games of the 2014 season.

If all four guys are gone (Wallace, Hartline, Gibson, Matthews), then Tannehill is looking at Landry and Matt Hazel, a sixth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina who spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad, to throw to.

It’s unlikely that the entire crew will be off the roster once the NFL season starts in the fall. If for some bizarre reason that’s the case, the 2015 draft class looks to be extremely deep for teams searching for wide receivers, and current general manager Dennis Hickey does a great job in the war room. Make sure to keep a close eye on the situation as the new league year begins Mar. 11.

Tyler Olson is an NFL and Miami Dolphins writer for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter @to2471, like him on Facebook, and connect with him on Google.

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