‘How can you beat this?’ Wes Welker returns to Miami to coach Dolphins wide receivers
New Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel joked that he was ready to see a 1-on-1 that would make Dolphins fans of the early 2000s glee: Wes Welker vs. Sam Madison or Patrick Surtain.
“No question,” Welker quickly responded with a smile when asked if he could hold his own today against the former All-Pro cornerbacks.
No, Welker won’t be suiting up to run routes for — or against — the Dolphins, but he returns to Miami on McDaniel’s staff to tutor as the team’s wide receivers coach.
“How can you beat this? It’s great weather, the facility is unbelievable,” Welker, 40, said Wednesday as the team’s new coaching staff was introduced. “The people I get to work with. The whole deal. I’m kind of pinching myself and I’m super excited to be back down here.”
Welker said his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent the past three seasons as wide receivers coach, had expired, giving him the opportunity to join any coaching staff. He called his coming back to the Dolphins a “fluid situation” that began with ongoing conversations with McDaniel after he was named head coach in early February.
“Knowing what this organization has been through over the years and everything like that,” Welker said, “and knowing how great it is down here in Miami and everything, I knew it would be a great situation for him at the time, and I’m just happy to be able to tag along with him.”
Welker laughed when it was noted the role he played in what the franchise “has been through over the years.” Undrafted in 2004, Welker had a one-game stint with the then-San Diego Chargers before signing to the Dolphins, where he made a name for himself as a dynamic return specialist and then one of the better slot receivers in the NFL. Welker overlapped one season with Madison and Surtain, who also returned to the team as cornerbacks coach and defensive assistant, respectively.
“It’s kind of crazy, us being together again on the same team,” Welker said. “Those guys were awesome, really helped my career as far as being a little bit older than me.”
After three seasons in Miami, the Dolphins traded Welker before the 2007 season to the New England Patriots for a pair of draft picks. For the next decade, Welker was one of the most productive receivers in the league, often tormenting the Dolphins during the Patriots’ reign over the AFC East.
“It was something a little extra whenever I got to play the Dolphins at the time,” Welker said. “But I’m really just excited to be down here and ready to get to work and do whatever we need to do to make us a contender.”
Welker said he kept a home in the Miami area for several years but sold it when he moved his family to Houston to take a position with the Texans in 2017 as an offensive assistant and special teams assistant.
“We ended up selling that place, unfortunately, because now it’s worth probably three times what it was in those five years,” Welker said.
After two seasons in Houston, he joined the 49ers as wide receivers coach. During that time, he had an instrumental role in the development of Deebo Samuel, who broke out as a 2021 All-Pro selection.
Now with the Dolphins, one of Welker’s top priorities will be elevating the play of Jaylen Waddle, who had an impressive first year, setting a new NFL rookie reception record and becoming the first rookie receiver in team history to have a 1,000-yard season.
“I see speed,” Welker said of Waddle. “I see the acceleration. I see a passion for the game. I see a guy that’s not scared. Just a heck of a football player. No matter the skill set and all those different things, you’ve got to have a mind for the game and he definitely has that. I’m looking forward to working with him on that.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 3:30 PM.
