Breaking Down the Dolphins Passing Game Predicament
Two days after the Miami Dolphins ended their Week 14 game without their top six receiving leaders, there remains little but uncertainty as to exactly who they'll have available for Week 15.
Wide receivers DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant and tight end Mike Gesicki all were injured during the 33-27 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs and there's no guarantee that any of them will be practicing Wednesday when the Dolphins begin their on-field preparations for their home finale against the New England Patriots.
Parker and Grant both are dealing with hamstring strains, according to Twitter reports, but it's Gesicki's shoulder injury that clearly appeared the most serious Sunday.
The Dolphins already have been without starting opening-day starting wide receiver Preston Williams, who has been on injured reserve since the Arizona game Nov. 8.
In a best-case scenario, all four of them somehow will be in the lineup against the Patriots, though that seems extraordinarily unlikely at this point.
Actually, it's a lot more likely that the Dolphins won't have any of them, though it's premature to make that determination.
But where would that leave the receiving corps?
We can start with the obvious notion that Lynn Bowden Jr. would get even more work,as offensive coordinator Chan Gailey hinted Tuesday, after he led the team against the Chiefs with seven receptions,
“He did some really good things in the game," Gailey said. "He made some plays on the field. We asked him to do a lot this past week and he responded very well. He’s learning. He’s getting more comfortable. He’s understanding what we’re trying to get done and I think he’s going to be a part of what we’re trying to do going forward.”
Besides Bowden and the injured players, the wide receivers on the Dolphins roster are Mack Hollins, Antonio Callaway and rookie seventh-round pick Malcolm Perry.
Of those three, it's Hollins who has shown the most promise, and we'd expect him to get the most playing time against the Patriots.
And then there's the X factor, and that's newly signed practice squad wide receiver Isaiah Ford.
He officially rejoined the Dolphins on Monday and it certainly is easy to envision him getting elevated from the practice squad for the game against New England. The best game of Ford's career to that point came against those Patriots in the 2019 season finale when he set a personal high with seven catches (he tied it against Buffalo in Week 2 this year).
While Ford's experience (remember, he was a 2017 draft pick) would be a benefit for Tua Tagovailoa, also remember he hasn't played in a game since Nov. 1 when he had one catch for 10 yards in the Dolphins' 28-17 victory against the Rams.
That came two days before he was traded to the Patriots, who never saw fit to have him suit up for a game despite having him for about a month.
So, as we did before Callaway began practicing with the Dolphins in his return to the NFL, we would caution against expecting too much too soon from Ford.
Former Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills still is looking for a team after he was released by the Houston Texans by mutual agreement Nov. 30 and his addition clearly would help the offense, but head coach Brian Flores deferred to General Manager Chris Grier when he was asked whether the Dolphins would have any interest in bringing him back at least for the rest of the 2020 season.
And the truth is that it's highly unlikely the Dolphins would go that route, given the circumstances surrounding his departure and Miami including him in the Laremy Tunsil trade with the Texans.
For Parker, the injury is just the latest in a series this year, though he has yet to miss a game. Parker has had a game status designation only once, that when he was questionable for the Buffalo game in Week 2.
When it comes to Grant, the injury against the Chiefs came after he had another drop and was the intended receiver on Tagovailoa's first NFL interception. When Grant left, Callaway took his spot as the punt returner, and the Dolphins obviously would have to decide whether to stick with him against the Patriots if Grant is out.
Other logical options would include safety Brandon Jones and Bowden, who both did it in college.
If Gesicki is out, the Dolphins likely would elevate tight end Chris Myarick from the practice squad, something they did last week even though the three tight ends on the roster were available.
But the truth is that Gesicki is the only tight end the Dolphins have who has shown the ability to impact a game, which is he did against Kansas City with his two touchdowns.
His absence clearly would hurt the Dolphins passing game.
The Dolphins also will be hoping for the return of running back Myles Gaskin, who is third on the team in receptions with 32, after he missed the Chiefs game while being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Obviously the two big names in the passing game are Gesicki and Parker, and the Dolphins will be affected if they have to go without either.
At this point, there just are a whole lot of questions with few definitive answers.
