What is Preston Williams’ ideal role with the Dolphins in 2021?

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams will be looking to return to action in 2021 and hoping to prove that he can be a full-time, full-season contributor to the Miami Dolphins passing attack. Williams, who was one of the Dolphins’ 2019 UDFA success stories, saw his second consecutive season with Miami cut short on account of a lower body injury — and there’s now unfortunately a narrative developing that he may not be a player the Dolphins cling to for a significant role this upcoming season.

So the question begs to be asked: what is the ideal role for Preston Williams in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins?

It’s a challenging proposition. Because Williams is clearly physically gifted and his ability to make plays down the field offered Miami more of a chance at creating chunk plays. Williams won balls down field and averaged 16.0 yards per catch in 2020 — but the next result of his targets was often a coin flip (51.4% catch rate) and drops were an issue in key situations too often to ignore.

The unfortunate reality is this for Williams’ forecast moving forward: the 2019 Miami Dolphins were an undermanned team that afforded many players, including Williams, a chance to showcase their abilities in a higher role than what they would with any other team across the league. Williams can clearly play at the pro level. And there’s plenty of untapped potential to dig into. But he’s been Miami’s WR2 for the past two seasons before injuries cut both seasons short.

And Preston Williams serving as WR2 for yet another season in 2021 isn’t something this front office should be willing to accept. Williams’ ideal role is to be the team’s third perimeter wide receiver. So if DeVante Parker must miss a game because of a hamstring issue, Williams can step into those reps seamlessly. Whoever ends up supplanting Williams (or alternatively DeVante Parker, pushing him to the WR2 role) would have the same luxury of Williams waiting in the wings.

Preston Williams holds plenty of value for the Miami Dolphins. But he’s also proven unready and his body has yet to prove itself capable of fully claiming a starter’s role and the Dolphins, amid their bid to improve the supporting cast around Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, would be wise to act accordingly.