Dolphins’ Mack Hollins leaving little room for doubt in WR battle

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mack Hollins was put in the pressure cooker this offseason. After the end of the 2020 campaign saw Hollins serving as one of Tua Tagovailoa’s primary targets, the Dolphins went out and added wide receivers left and right to the roster in an effort to upgrade the room and increase the competition. Miami, of course, got Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson back from COVID-19 opt outs and will presumably get Preston Williams back from injury. The team signed Will Fuller in free agency and drafted Jaylen Waddle with their first draft choice — all in the name of creating the best wide receiver room possible.

But the biggest red flag beyond all of that for Hollins was the addition of Robert Foster — who serves not just as a threat to reps as a route runner but also as a threat to Hollins’ special teams role as a gunner and kick coverage option. Hollins was put on notice this offseason.

His response, thus far, has been a good one. Hollins has made a fair number of plays in the passing game throughout camp and parlayed that into a strong showing against Chicago. Hollins played a total of 30 snaps (19 on offense, 11 on special teams) and was as good as ever on the kick coverage front while also logging two receptions for 20 yards and another 16-yard reception that was negated due to a holding penalty.

That kind of production in limited reps is going to be hard to gloss over for the Dolphins as they look for the right mix of role player & reliable. And with the injuries to the wide receiver room that the team is currently juggling, having someone at the bottom of the WR depth chart that can still go out and produce in the passing game is going to be important. Hollins struggled at times with drops in 2020; but he’s been promising early on while maintaining his effective play on the special teams units, which was a bright spot against Chicago.

That’s what is perhaps the most promising. Hollins is rising to the occasion after being put on notice this offseason; which is typically a good sign for a player’s ability to handle the rigors and pressures of the regular season.