Omar Kelly: Dolphins' slot-receiver struggles hindering offense

Brian Flores came from an organization that pioneered the evolution of the slot position.

The New England Patriots spent more than decade developing shifty, smart and crafty slot receivers such as Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, weapons who routinely ran option routes and provided check-down, pass-friendly targets for their quarterback.

That is exactly what Miami’s offense has been missing during Flores’ tenure as head coach, though the teams appears to be working to address that void.

Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns shared the slot role last season, but they opted out of playing the 2020 season because of COVID-19.

Isaiah Ford began this season as Miami’s starting slot receiver, and his evolution helped him become one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s favorite targets. Then Miami traded Ford to the Patriots for a conditional late-round pick to create playing time for Malcolm Perry, the former Navy quarterback the Dolphins drafted in the seventh round with the vision of him becoming a receiver.

Unfortunately for the offense, Perry hasn’t been much of a factor in the five games he has played, catching seven passes for 62 yards before sustaining a rib injury in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets.

Perry practiced on a limited basis on Thursday, but if he’s held out of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals the Dolphins must get creative about who and how they fill that void.

Considering how many hints Flores and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey have dropped about DeVante Parker working on the inside this week, moving the 6-foot-3, 216-pound receiver inside appears to be something Miami might explore in the final five games.

It makes plenty of sense considering Parker has the best mastery of the offense out of all the receivers available, and because he’s a mismatch for most nickel cornerbacks, who are typically smaller.

It also could help Miami make the most out of Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins, Antonio Callaway and Lynn Bowden Jr., the four receivers who are being asked to step up while Preston Williams is sidelined by his knee injury.

However, Flores doesn’t view the slot position as a necessity.

From his defensive-minded viewpoint it’s a “spot on the field, not necessarily a position.”

The “slot” is the area between the numbers, or hash marks. In the kicking game Flores points out it’s called the alleys.

On defense they call it the seam, Flores points out. And anyone — a tailback, a tight end, or a receiver — can do damage there.

“They call it the slot in the passing game,” Flores said. “I don’t necessarily see it as a position. I see it as a space on the field. I think that space can be filled by a number of different positions.”

Mike Gesicki, whom the Dolphins primarily use as a flex tight end, a pseudo H-back who works off the line of scrimmage, has routinely lined up as a seam weapon going back to last season.

But Gesicki doesn’t get nearly the volume of passes a dynamic slot receiver such Jarvis Landry or O.J. McDuffie got during their stellar time with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins are missing that type of weapon in the middle of the field because they make the game easier for the quarterback.

“They got option routes. Two-way goes, field is open on both sides of the field,” said Nik Needham, who has evolved into the Dolphins’ nickel cornerback this season, responsible for covering the slot receivers. “It’s a different route tree than what they can run on the outside.”

And often times each route isn’t defined because the slot’s job is to read the defense, make a decision on a route quickly, then get open — creating separation from the nickel cornerback. If he’s on the same page as the quarterback it usually produces a chain-moving reception.

What type of slot receiver gives Needham the most trouble?

“Quickness, speed,” Needham said. “Speed kills!”

The Dolphins have four receivers on the roster with that type of skill in Grant, Perry, Bowden Jr., and Callaway, but none of them have filled the void in the seam, slot, alley — whatever you want to call it — that afflicts this offense.

“I think that’s overstated just a little bit, that somebody is a slot receiver. I think good players can play in a lot of different places,” Gailey said. “I think that there are people better suited probably in the slot, but it’s what you ask them to do that’s the key.

“If you ask them to be that quick, short route, all of that kind of stuff, then it does take a certain person. If you’re talking about affecting zone coverage, getting into the deep creases and things like that, it’s a different kind of guy.”

The Miami offense needs to figure out the answer to this riddle before it’s too late because at this point it seems the Dolphins need an infusion of new receivers.

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