A look at Dolphins’ wild skill-position purge, and the big moment awaiting young guns
In a vacuum, the Kenyan Drake trade was no big deal. He was a part-time player in Miami and will probably end up being a part-time player in Arizona.
But the view from 30,000 feet is quite different.
Dealing Drake was the latest (and last, for now) swing of the sledgehammer to the Dolphins’ 2018 offense.
Drake joined Frank Gore, Danny Amendola, Kenny Stills in the club of former Dolphins skill position players.
They together weren’t just a big part of the team’s offense. They, along with Ryan Tannehill and Brock Osweiler, were basically the entirety of the Dolphins’ offense.
Of Miami’s 4,638 yards from scrimmage last year, 3,150 of them were gained by players no longer on the team. The Dolphins scored 33 offensive touchdowns in 2018, but just eight by players still on the roster.
But the flipside of all that turnover: The players left are young, hungry and potentially have a future with in Miami.
That last point depends on how each performs over the season’s final two months, which serves as an audition for 2020 — when the competition for playing time should be far stiffer.
But if all goes well, the Dolphins will emerge from this mess with a core nucleus of offensive players.
“Hopefully can be one of those guys that they can build this team around and play to help this team win,” said Dolphins running back Mark Walton, who has been the biggest on-field beneficiary of Drake’s departure. “It’s something I want to do, day in and day out, help this team win, just try to get a positive attitude.”
Walton, who signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in the spring, had already passed Drake on the depth chart before the trade, but got the most playing time of his young career Monday against the Steelers.
Walton was on the field for all but eight of Miami’s snaps on offense, carrying the ball 11 times for 35 yards. He did lose a late fumble on a catch-and-run, but that was one of his few hiccups in an otherwise strong season.
While Walton’s star turn is a recent development, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker have been in the spotlight all season. They’ve played a ton out of necessity. Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson have been working through injuries, and the Dolphins’ top two receivers in 2018, Danny Amendola and Kenny Stills, are long gone.
Parker is finally healthy after an injury-marred first four NFL seasons, and he’s become the team’s leading scorer with three touchdowns, one off his career high. His 14.3 yards-per-catch is the second best of his career and ranks 18th among wideouts with at least 24 catches.
The Dolphins made a value play this offseason, signing Parker to a one-year extension instead of honoring his fifth-year option. Parker can make some $5 million both this year and next, if he hits all of his incentives.
Parker has proven that, if nothing else, he would be a good No. 3 receiver on any team.
Meanwhile, Preston Williams might someday be a true No. 1. His 27 catches are second-most behind Terry McLaurin among all rookies and his 356 receiving yards are fourth.
“[It’s] definitely a visual of what we’re going to be,” Williams said. “Everyday, me and DeVante push each other. Mark’s a really good running back, very competitive running back room. We’re all staying together, but at the end of the day, we’re growing together.
“We’re very young, but we’re growing,” he added. “We’ll be there real soon. We’ve got a good receivers room, a good group of guys. All different attributes. We’re growing. It’s a new system too for a lot of the guys that was here. I feel like in the future, we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
The best news: Williams, Parker, Grant and Albert Wilson are all under contract in 2020, although Wilson is no sure bet to stick. The other three should, in part because they are projected to earn just a combined $9.4 million next year.
“They’re great guys to build a program around,” Grant said. “We’ve got to continue to go out there and set the standard and show people this is how we’re going to play, this is what it takes. We’ve got to continue to trust in the process and show people we’re going to be a great team coming in the future.”
There’s even encouraging signs at tight end. The Dolphins have enough trust in Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe that they cut veteran Nick O’Leary this week. Gesicki has 15 catches for 153 yards this season, but is still in search of his first career touchdown.
