The Miami Dolphins still haven’t settled the question at wide receiver, and that uncertainty is exactly why Caleb Douglas has a real opening in front of him.
Miami used a third-round pick on Douglas in the NFL Draft a couple of months ago, a move that caught plenty of people off guard. He had been seen by many as a day three prospect, but Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley clearly thought enough of the big receiver to make him one of the team’s more notable additions. With the starting spots still up for grabs and a deep group of available bodies in the room, Douglas should have every chance to push his way into one of those jobs.
That wide receiver battle is only one piece of the Dolphins’ offseason picture. Another storyline centers on the group of De’Von Achane, Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks, a trio that now carries some of the weight in Miami’s rebuild. As Chris Perkins noted, the expectation is that those three will have to do what previous leadership groups could not: help deliver multiple playoff victories in a multi-year stretch.
Around the rest of the Dolphins’ news cycle, the conversation also continues to orbit the quarterback room and the broader offseason work ahead. And in another item from the week, Sean Payton was said to have cooked up a plan aimed at revenge on the Dolphins, with the detail that he wanted Bill Belichick to coach the Denver Broncos until he passed Don Shula’s wins record.
In Other News...
Former Dolphins Draft Bust Found An Unexpected Second Act In Football
Michael Egnews NFL run with Miami never came close to matching the expectations that came with a third-round pick in 2012. The former tight end managed only seven catches over two seasons before his time with the Dolphins ended, a quick and disappointing chapter that could have been the whole story.
Instead, Egnew found a second act in coaching, and it has taken root in Columbia, Missouri, where he has helped build Father Tolton High School into a far more competitive program. Since taking over in 2019, the team has climbed from a 1-9 season in 2020 to an 11-1 finish in 2023, capped by a conference championship, with Egnew stressing hard work and a winning standard along the way. [Read more 🡒]
Former Steelers Tight End Suddenly Draws New AFC Buzz
Jonnu Smiths name is back in the AFC conversation after a strong run with Miami reminded teams what he can still bring to an offense. The former Dolphins Pro Bowler was one of the more productive tight ends in the league during his 2024 season in South Florida, a sharp contrast to the quieter year he had the season before, when his role and production dipped after leaving Miami.
For the Dolphins, Smiths market matters because it reinforces how valuable that Miami stretch was in reshaping his reputation around the league. A recent CBS Sports link to Denver reflects the kind of attention he can still draw when teams are looking for help at tight end, and it also says plenty about how his name now sits in the AFC mix as clubs search for a reliable answer at a position that has not produced enough. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Reportedly Had A Petty Dolphins Revenge Scheme
Sean Payton was apparently willing to get creative in his long-running football rivalry with the Dolphins, according to an ESPN report by Seth Wickersham. The piece says Payton once mulled a convoluted plan involving the Broncos that would have opened the door for Bill Belichick to make a run at one of Don Shulas most cherished markers, a reminder of how much history still hangs over Miamis place in the NFL record book.
The scheme never got off the ground because it was judged too complicated, and Belichick ended up taking the college route at North Carolina instead of returning to the league. Even so, the report adds another layer to the old Shula shadow that still follows the Dolphins, with Paytons reported thinking showing just how far some around the game will go when that record comes into view. [Read more 🡒]