Albert Wilson hopes Miami keeps him. And Dolphins looking north of border for help
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ Receiver Albert Wilson, who a month ago looked likely to be purged this offseason, is making a strong late-season push to be retained in 2020.
Sunday’s game against Cincinnati might have been the best Wilson has looked this season; he caught all seven targets for 79 yards and displayed some of the speed and elusiveness that was evident early last season before a hip injury sidelined him to end last season and slowed him to start this season.
“Albert in the last couple weeks, I think we’ve really seen where Albert is when he’s fully healthy,” offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea said. “I’ve been very excited about his opportunities he’s had on the field, and he’s made the most of them. I think he’s brought energy to the team.
“He’s made some plays with the ball in his hands which is what our expectation is of him. It’s been a year in which Albert has really worked very hard to get back to his health.”
If the Dolphins decide to retain him, a contract restructuring might be in order, as was the case with DeVante Parker last offseason.
Wilson is due $9.5 million next season, but it’s not guaranteed and it would be surprising if Miami brings him back at that price. He has a $10.8 million cap number if he’s on the team, $1.3 million if he’s cut. But Wilson has made a strong case to return at a salary that’s more palatable to Miami, and that’s a real possibility.
“I would definitely like to spend the rest of my time here,” said Wilson, who made $14.5 million in guaranteed money over the first two years of the contract. “I love the organization. I love the coaches that came in. It definitely is pushing me like never before to become a player I’m not yet.”
Wilson was a sensation early last season, averaging 15.0 yards per catch and scoring four touchdowns in seven games before a hip injury ended his year. This season, a hamstring injury cost him three games — and that, combined with recovery from the hip — initially limited the explosiveness of a player who needs that attribute to perform at his best.
Wilson, who has worked both in the slot and on the boundary in this offense, said the full explosiveness returned only in mid-November, during the game against Indianapolis.
“And ever since then, I’ve been making big improvement running routes, being open, catching the ball, trying to make something happen after the catch. I feel like I’m getting back to the hang of things from before the hip injury. I’m getting more opportunities. It feels good. Things have been going pretty good last couple weeks.”
Wilson, who has 38 catches for 292 yards (7.7 average) and a touchdown, said he’s trying to use the final weeks of the season to make his case to stay in 2020.
“I’m just trying to prove myself this year, let them know I’m capable of doing everything I was in the past, that I’m fully healthy off this hip injury,” he said. “I’m comfortable in what I’ve got to offer. I know everyone can see it.”
Beyond Wilson, the Dolphins have four other established receivers under contract for 2020 in DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant and injured rookie Preston Williams, plus Isaiah Ford — who has come on strong the past three weeks — and rookie Gary Jennings, the rookie fourth-round pick who was injured less than two weeks after being claimed off waivers from Seattle. If Wilson sticks around, there would seemingly not be a need for another significant addition.
Wilson might be the best slot receiver of that group, with Hurns and Jennings also having experience in that area.
“I think that with all the players it’s ‘what have you done for us lately?’” O’Shea said. “And what is your last outing and what that’s been, and a lot of that has to do with ‘have you improved over time and where are you currently?’ I look forward to increased opportunities with him here in the future.”
Wilson on Thursday was named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award winner.
▪ Two years ago, Dolphins coach Adam Gase started Jay Cutler in the meaningless season finale against Buffalo but played him only a series before inserting David Fales for the rest of the game. Asked if he might do something similar with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen on Sunday at New England, coach Brian Flores said no.
Flores said he intends to stick with the player he believes gives the team the best chance to win, which remains Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, incidentally, was named team MVP today, with the media and team combining on that award. He also earned the Don Shula Leadership Award.
▪ The Dolphins have been scouring the Canadian Football League for help, hoping to land a 2020 version of Cameron Wake or, on a more modest scale, linebacker Sam Eguavoen.
Among the CFL players they’ve reportedly worked out in the past two weeks, with their season stats: Saskatchewan linebacker Derrick Moncrief (a former Oklahoma State player with three interceptions and four sacks); Edmonton linebacker Nick Usher (a former UTEP player with six sacks) and defensive end Mike Moore (ex-Virginia player with nine sacks); Calgary cornerback DaShaun Amos (former East Carolina player with five interceptions); Winnipeg defensive end Jonathan Kongbo (former top junior college recruit in nation for Tennessee with one sack), cornerback Marcus Sayles (three interceptions) and linebacker Willie Jefferson (ex-Stephen F. Austin player with 12 sacks).
Wake, of course, is among the best CFL-to-NFL success stories of the century, producing 98 sacks in 10 seasons for the Dolphins before an injury short-circuited his first year in Tennessee. And Eguavoen also had some success for the Dolphins this season after three in the CFL, producing 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
▪ In a conference call with Patriots media, Dolphins coach Brian Flores said his first season as an NFL head coach has “been fun. I’ve really enjoyed working with this team. I think we’ve grown a lot. It’s been a great experience. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself and this team. Like anything, there’s things I wish I could have done better, and I try to always to improve.”
Asked what it’s like coaching against a team where he spent most of his career, he said: “I was with Bill [Belichick] for 15 years. I know him very well. He knows me very well. I have a lot of respect for him. I learned a lot from him. I’m fortunate to have worked with that organization for a long time; but I know this about him: he’s going to try to beat the heck out of us, and he knows this about me, that we’re going to do the same....
“I love those guys and they love me, and I know that. From [Devin] McCourty to [Patrick] Chung to [Kyle] Van Noy to [Elandon] Roberts to [Dont’a] Hightower, I built relationships with these guys that go far beyond football. But on Sunday we’re going to be competing against each other and nobody’s going to care about any of that stuff.”
▪ Personnel stuff: Flores said the team plucked running back Samaje Perine from the Bengals’ practice squad — replacing injured Myles Gaskin — because he’s a “guy who had success in this league. It was an opportunity to add some experience.”
The Dolphins also figure to give De’Lance Turner more work behind Patrick Laird on Sunday. Turner has “made a lot of improvement in the course of the season,” Flores said....
The staff likes what it saw from undrafted rookie cornerback Trae Hayes against the Bengals; he allowed 3 of 10 passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 55 yards. “Tae jumped right in and played a significant amount of snaps, was competitive on most of the coverages, tackled well,” Flores said. “Good start; we need to build on that.”
▪ Quick stuff: Cornerback Jomal Wiltz has been slowed this week by a shoulder injury and his status is in question for Sunday. Others who have been limited: defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (ankle), linebackers Vince Biegel and Andrew Van Ginkel; tight end Durham Smythe, receiver Allen Hurns and defensive linemen Taco Charlton and Zach Sieler...
Flores said he has had no problem with Wilkins running on the field to celebrate every touchdown this season. “He’s a team guy; he’s selfless,” Flores said. “I think he should celebrate. I tell those guys all the time: ‘We work hard. We should celebrate. As long as we don’t get a penalty, I’m fine [with it].’”
Here’s my Christmas night piece about what Dolphins players would tell potential future Dolphins about what it’s like to play here.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 12:56 PM.
