How And Why the Dolphins Took a Different WR Approach

The Dolphins went into the draft with a clear need at wide receiver, buit did not approach it the same way that conventional wisdom thought they would. Are they looking at a shift in philosophy?

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) got close to the end zone but officials ruled against his touchdown after a replay review as the Cards take on Clemson in the first half at L&N Stadium Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins went into the 2026 draft with a perceived clear need at wide receiver and two first-round picks.

Conventional wisdom was that the Dolphins, who were looking to replace Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, would use one of those top picks on a receiver to help support their new quarterback, Malik Willis.

Instead, the Dolphins took the approach of painting by numbers, which could represent a shift in philosophy when it comes to their pass catchers.

Moving Forward

When the Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle, they publicly vowed they would have players to whom their new quarterback could throw the ball.

They were not in the market for expensive free agents or any trade assets. They chose to address the position in free agency with minimal deals for Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell to pair with Malik Washington for veterans on the roster.

They’re unlikely to dive into the veteran market again for a more expensive free agent like Jauan Jennings.

When it came to the draft, they did not take a receiver in the first two rounds, instead, choosing to add to their pass catching corps in Round 3 and beyond with the selections of Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr.

“I mean, of course there were other players that we liked, but we really liked Caleb all along. He's tall, he's long. He has a lot of really, really interesting athletic traits,” GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said on “The Insiders” on NFL.com. “For a guy who's has his body type, he can really drop his weight and get in out of breaks he ran well. And so we were excited to get him. The draft unfolds the way it unfolds, and you only get one player per pick, unless you guys know something I don't. So you have to address it as it comes. And you can't chase it all, because then you're giving away draft capital to do that.

"And we had already traded up to go get a guy, and we felt like the board was sitting right. And Caleb came to us, and we were excited to get him and and then we were excited to add Bell, that what we felt like was a really, really good value. We feel like he's got a chance to be a difference maker once he gets healthy and then, and then we got Coleman later on, who is another versatile piece, who can return punts and bring some explosive traits to the to the table. So we felt like we got better to receiver a position over the weekend.”

Bell is a worthwhile risk as a productive player coming off an ACL injury. Douglas is someone who was seen as a reach, but the Dolphins clearly are high on him. Coleman could contribute in the receiver room or on special teams.

All three guys will likely get an opportunity to compete for a chance to prove themselves as part of Miami’s offense moving forward.

The New Philosophy

In 2024, the last time Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle played a vast majority of the season, the Dolphins had four players receive 80 or more targets in their passing game, with nobody else garnering more than 36 targets.

Waddle had 58 receptions on 83 targets. Tyreek Hill and Jonnu Smith had 123 and 111 targets, respectively.

2023 was even more of a drastic split. Hill and Waddle had 275 targets between just the two of them.

Tight end Durham Smythe finished third on the team in targets with 43. With the selection of three receivers at the back half of the draft to go with lesser-known veterans, it appears the Dolphins could be in the midst of a shift in philosophy.

Sullivan came to Miami from Green Bay. The Packers had a shift in philosophy in regards to their passing game after the 2022 trade of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Coming into the 2024 season, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked who he thought was going to be his No. 1 receiver, to which he had a very firm response.

“I want to vomit,” LaFleur said, while referencing the phrase number one receiver.

LaFleur has often said that coverage on defense is going to dictate where the ball goes, and that has largely held true since Adams’ departure from Green Bay.

In 2025, for example, the Packers had Romeo Doubs receive 85 targets during the year.

Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Josh Jacobs and Tucker Kraft all received at least 44 targets last year.

In fairness, Kraft and Watson may have received more targets, but they aaadd

The 2024 season is another good example of the Packers’ receiver by committee approach.

Wicks, Reed, Doubs, and Kraft all received at least 70 targets. Watson had 53, Jacobs had 43.

As a result, none of the aforementioned players has really emerged into the upper echelon of receivers across the NFL. The Packers are constantly peppered with questions about who their go-to receiver is going to be in the biggest games of the year.

They’ve maintained that approach, and been successful, making the playoffs in all three seasons with Jordan Love as the starting quarterback.

With Jordan Love’s backup now set to be the starter in Miami, it looks as if the Dolphins are taking the approach inspired by their new regime’s old stomping grounds.