Dolphins WR Lynn Bowden Jr. begins another season with a new number — and opportunity
In 2020, it was No. 15. It was No. 6 in 2021 before his season was derailed by a training camp injury. And when Dolphins wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. spoke to local reporters Tuesday, it was the No. 3 printed on his white practice jersey.
There was no particular reason for the number change, he said, but maybe the third time’s the charm for the 24-year-old who is entering his third season with the Dolphins.
“I’m just blessed. I’ve got a number on my back,” he said after organized team activities practice.
Players such as fellow wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are expected to be fixtures in the new offense being implemented by coach Mike McDaniel. But Bowden’s multi-faceted skill set could add another dimension to a scheme that’s been praised for its innovation.
Even before the Dolphins traded for Hill in March, it was Bowden — who through the years has taken significant snaps at quarterback, running back and wide receiver — who was floated as a Deebo Samuel-like carbon copy in Miami.
“Lynn, he does have an interesting skill set,” McDaniel said last week. “I’ve always been drawn to players that have multiple positions, specifically quarterback, experience, because of the way they see the game.”
Bowden was not at last week’s OTA practice open to the media because of a hamstring injury, the same ailment that he sustained in training camp and put him on injured reserve. After Tuesday’s session, Bowden said landing on injured reserve and missing the entire season was “probably the best thing for me, to get my body right, get my mind right.”
McDaniel did note that even while sidelined, Bowden has been “diligent in the meeting room.” Like many of the team’s young players, Bowden is learning a third offense for the third consecutive season.
“It’s like having a new baby,” Bowden said of grasping the new offense. “Just learning the baby, it’s a process. Step by step, take it easy, put your mind to it, you’ll get it.”
Five months after the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Bowden in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he was traded to the Dolphins, who moved the 6-foot, 200-pounder from running back to wide receiver. In 10 games, he caught 28 passes for 211 yards and rushed nine times for 32 yards. Bowden even completed a 32-yard pass, showing all phases of the do-it-all capabilities that made him a two-time All-SEC selection at Kentucky.
“Moving from quarterback to receiver and then receiver to quarterback, you get the best of both worlds,” Bowden said December 2020, “because now as a receiver, you’re seeing how the quarterback looks at it and as a quarterback, you’re seeing how the receiver is seeing it. So I have the best of both worlds of being able to read coverages and seeing the different disguises and stuff like that.”
During the offsesason, Bowden has frequently trained with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They have further developed a friendship Bowden said dates to when they met during the draft process and when Tagovailoa reached out after the trade to Miami.
“The chemistry is there,” Bowden said. “That’s my boy outside of football. Everything that we met about outside of here wasn’t just about football. Me and him got closer as a brother. It’ll help out here, but I’m out here competing with everybody. Everybody’s out here competing.”
With a revamped wide receiver room that not only includes Hill but Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookie wide receiver Erik Ezukanma, Bowden’s spot on the 53-man roster is by no means secured. But the talent remains intriguing, possibly even more so than when he first arrived in Miami.
“I’ve been competing all my life,” he said. “Ain’t nothing new to me.”
