Maybe the Dolphins have player who can fill this key role, but what if they don't? | Habib
A handful of weeks into the 1984 season, second-year quarterback Dan Marino knew what he had on his side. A right arm, certainly, but also a right-hand man for those odd occurrences when Mark Duper and Mark Clayton weren’t open.
Marino had reliable vet Nat Moore. And he used Moore to the tune of 13 touchdown passes and 1,274 yards over the 1984 and ’85 seasons, when the Dolphins won 26 games. It was a theme that would continue throughout Marino’s career. Either at tight end, running back or H-back, there was always a third target he could rely on: Jim Jensen. Terry Kirby. Tony Nathan. Ferrell Edmunds. Keith Jackson. Keith Byars. Troy Stradford. Men who had their share of receptions and touchdowns and kept the chains moving for the 1,000-yard wideouts to do the glamour work.
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In 2023, Tua Tagovailoa will have … who?
He has Tyreek Hill. He has Jaylen Waddle. We know that. We know that if they stay healthy, nothing will stop them from hovering around 1,500 yards, maybe more. We also know the running backs will get the occasional check-downs and screens.
But that always-there, always-going-to-move-the-sticks outlet guy?
Can Anderson come close to 2020 production?
I’m looking at the roster, checking it twice, and I’m not seeing him. And if you, and Chris Grier, are honest with yourselves, you’re not saying you see him, either. Not with any conviction, you’re not.
Is it possible someone will emerge? Sure. But on a team built to win now, relying on hope and ignoring facts is risky business.
Robby Anderson is the latest candidate for that role. He’s a veteran planning to sign with the Dolphins. Or maybe it’s Robbie Anderson. No, check that, it’s “Chosen” Anderson now. On the plus side, if you go back to 2020, Anderson has a 1,096-yard season on his resume.
On the minus side, he has had more names than touchdowns in the past year.
That’s not to pick on Anderson. An undrafted guy out of Temple and Plantation, he has fashioned a solid, seven-year NFL career. As a member of the New York Jets, he has been a thorn in the Dolphins’ side, good for about a TD reception every other game against them.
The problem is Anderson has one thing in common with the other six supporting-cast receivers plus three tight ends. They all fall into one of two categories: Either they’re on the young side and haven’t proven they can do the heavy lifting, or they’re veterans coming off subpar seasons. In some cases, the word “subpar” hardly does it justice.
Veterans' yardage dropped 56% last season
Cedrick Wilson saw his receptions plummet from 45 to 12 last season and his receiving yardage fall from 602 to 136. He’s the most striking example, but not the only one. Put the 2022 receiving yardage together for all the tight ends and backup receivers with at least four years’ experience and you have a 56% drop over the prior year. Anderson had 519 yards two years ago but 282 last year (and 282 was the most yards of anyone in the group). Braxton Berrios is a terrific pickup as a return man, but his reception production went from 431 yards to 145.
And it’s not just yardage. Their targets followed the same trend. Touchdowns? River Cracraft scored two last year. Nobody else had more than one. Nobody in the group we’re addressing, that is. Tight end Mike Gesicki had five and Trent Sherfield scored twice. The Dolphins will see plenty of those guys in 2023, only Gesicki as a New England Patriot and Sherfield as a Buffalo Bill. Their departures created this need the Dolphins may not have plugged.
Maybe Wilson will earn the $8 million coming to him this season. Maybe one of them will play like it’s 2020, not 2023. Maybe Erik Ezukanma will come around. That's a lot of maybes.
One other point deserves everyone’s attention. It’s not pleasant. In fact, parental discretion is advised:
What happens if either Hill or Waddle gets hurt?
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins still can't have conviction they've filled this vital role
