Dolphins position review: What wide receiver will complement Jaylen Waddle in 2022?

No Dolphins position group failed to reach expectations in 2021 as much as the team’s wide receivers — and that’s with one of the players setting numerous franchise and rookie records. But you get that label when two of your top-three pass-catchers are frequently sidelined by injuries and one only plays in two games.

In the third of a series of position reviews, the Miami Herald will examine the team’s wide receivers situation. Next up is offensive line.

2021 in review

The trio of Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker and Will Fuller didn’t play a single game with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Fuller may go down as one of the worst signings in Dolphins history, appearing in less than two full games and breaking his finger in Week 4, a diagnosis that sidelined him for the rest of the season as the team was coy about his status.

Injuries kept Parker in and out of the lineup, while Waddle was the lone bright spot, breaking Anquan Boldin’s rookie reception record. The Dolphins have something to build around in Waddle but will need significant upgrades to get the most out of Tagovailoa in 2022.

Depth chart

Jaylen Waddle

Skinny: Waddle proved to be well worth the No. 6 overall pick. He caught 104 passes and was the offense’s engine, totaling seven touchdowns and getting the ball in a variety of ways. He was voted team MVP by local media, the first rookie to receive the honor since Zach Thomas in 1996.

Contract: Waddle, 23, is entering the second year of a five-year rookie contract, with a team option for the fifth season. He has a cap hit of $6,155,908, the sixth-largest on the Dolphins.

DeVante Parker

Skinny: It was another injury-riddled season for Parker, who missed seven games because of a nagging hamstring problem. In seven years, Parker has only played every game in a season once.

Contract: Parker, 29, is entering the third year of a four-year extension he signed in 2019. He has a cap hit of $8,744,110, the fourth-largest on the Dolphins.

Will Fuller

Skinny: Fuller likely finishes his Miami career with a grand total of four catches after signing a one-year, $10 million deal. He missed the first game of the season because of suspension, sat out the second because of personal reasons and injured his finger in Week 4, a mysterious ailment that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Contract: Fuller, 27, is headed for unrestricted free agency.

Albert Wilson

Skinny: Wilson returned to the Dolphins after opting out of the 2020 season and recorded 25 catches for 213 yards.

Contract: Wilson, 29, is headed for unrestricted free agency.

Mack Hollins

Skinny: Hollins always seemed to have a knack for making a big play on offense despite his big role on special teams. His 65-yard touchdown against the New York Jets was the Dolphins’ longest reception of the season and Hollins’ four touchdown catches tied for second on the team.

Contract: Hollins, 28, is headed for unrestricted free agency.

Isaiah Ford

Skinny: As Ford joked during the season, he seems to have nine lives, finding his way back to Miami after a series of trades and cuts threatened his tenure with the Dolphins. To his credit, Ford was always reliable after injuries sidelined some of the top pass-catchers. Signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad in the middle of the season, he finished with 12 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Contract: Ford, 25, is headed for restricted free agency.

Preston Williams

Skinny: It was a disappointing year for Williams, who after missing half of the 2020 season with a foot injury wasn’t able to crack the rotation in 2021, even with the team’s need for pass-catchers. Williams appeared in just eight games, catching six passes for 71 yards.

Contract: Williams, 24, is headed for restricted free agency.

Offseason questions

1. What does Waddle do for an encore performance?

The most impressive part of Waddle’s record-breaking rookie season may have been how he did it. Known at Alabama for getting behind defenders with his sub-4.4 speed, Waddle did most of his work near the line of scrimmage or behind the sticks. While he ranked eighth in catches, Waddle’s 1,015 receiving yards were 25th in the NFL. An improved offense line, more time with Tagovailoa and a better understanding of NFL defenses could lead to a sophomore season that more resembles the Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill, whom Waddle was compared to in the pre-draft process.

2. Is Parker’s time in Miami running out?

When healthy, Parker is one of the better receivers in the NFL and one with a large catch radius that a young quarterback like Tagovailoa could use. That’s a big if, though, given Parker’s injury history, and the Dolphins could decide that the payoff is no longer worth a player they can’t count on to consistently be in the lineup. If the Dolphins release or trade Parker before June 1, they can save over $3 million in cap room, while absorbing over $5 million in dead cap. If Parker is released or traded after June 1, the dead cap is split over the next two seasons, while the Dolphins obtain over $6 million in cap savings for the 2022 season. The Dolphins are expected to have more than $70 million in cap space this offseason, so saving money may not be a primary factor in a decision to part ways.

3. Can any one of the upstarts carve out a larger role in 2022?

Kirk Merritt became a fan favorite after a strong training camp but only appeared in two games and was bypassed by Ford and others when the team needed practice-squad call-ups. He later signed a reserve/future contract with the New Orleans Saints, ending his tenure in Miami after two seasons. Lynn Bowden Jr. landed on injured reserve after a training camp injury and the Dolphins could have used his speed after relying so much on Waddle. The Dolphins will likely look for a bona fide receiver — or two — to take the pressure off Waddle but increased contributions from young receivers such as Bowden, Williams and Ford could help to round out the receiver room in 2022.

Potential Additions

Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin sustained a severe knee injury that may jeopardize his availability for the start of the 2022 season but if the Dolphins feel comfortable with his rehabilitation process, he checks the boxes of everything the team needs from a receiver to complement Waddle. Davante Adams seems destined for the franchise tag but the Packers face a murky cap situation. If Green Bay somehow lets him get to free agency, general manager Chris Grier should have a blank check waiting for Adams. The Los Angeles Chargers’ Mike Williams and Chicago Bears’ Allen Robinson are slightly cheaper options than Adams who could fill the role of Parker if the team decides to part ways.

The Dolphins could probably wait until Day 2 to find an instant-impact player in a deep draft for wide receivers. But if they want to use their first selection, which is the 49ers pick and will be no higher than No. 29, Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks could add explosiveness to an offense in dire need of it. In his first mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the Dolphins will take Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson.

Alabama’s Jameson Williams could potentially drop after tearing his ACL in the College Football Playoff National Championship and would be an enticing option to pair with Waddle if the medical side checks out OK.

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