The Miami Dolphins have looked at Evan Mathis on the free agent market and could be a landing sport for the guard in training camp and this comes as players like Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews and Greg Jennings have looked good so far along with Kenny Stills and this comes as DeVante Parker is on the mend from surgery and could miss the start of the season.
The Dolphins have high expectations coming into the season after signing Ryan Tannehill to a contact extension and Ndamukong Suh in free agency and that means pressure for Joe Philbin. The team thinks it can make the playoffs and with Tom Brady potentially out for four games, Miami is looking to take advantage in the division. The defense should be better with Suh and the Dolphins think the changes on offense should keep Tannehill developing in the right direction.
The Dolphins traded away Mike Wallace and cut Brian Hartline while bringing in players like Jordan Cameron, Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, Jay Ajayi and DeVante Parker. Tannehill had the best season of his career last year and he could be even better this season if the offense clicks in training camp. Lamar Miller and Jarvis Landry return as the primary starters and Rishard Matthews could play a bigger role if Parker is not ready to start the season.
According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are not currently pursuing as deal with Mathis, but there is a chance that the guard ends up in South Beach. The Dolphins reportedly want to see how their young group of guards performs before making another free agent addition and if he remains on the market, there is a chance things could change. The Jets have reportedly shown interest, while the NY Giants, St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers have also been mentioned as landing spots.
John Congemi from MiamiDolphins.com reports that Ryan Tannehill has looked "comfortable" in camp and that he has "command" of the offense. Tannehill's skills fit the offensive scheme for the Dolphins and he has security now on his contract extension and that could make the young QB even more relaxed. Jarvis Landry is coming back after a strong rookie season and he reportedly has been impressive in camp, while Matthews is getting some extra work with Parker on the mend. Congemi adds that Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings still need to get on the same page with Tannehill.
According to Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins from the South Florida Sun Sentinel in their training camp observations, Stills is working on a rehab assignment with "heavy running" while Matthews would have had a deep TD catch after beating cornerback Zack Bowman, but he "stopped running" on the play. Kelly writes that Matthews could end up as a "core special teams player" along with Damien Williams if Parker is healthy for Week 1.
The Dolphins are expecting big things from Parker and according to the Miami Herald, the plan is to have the rookie play in Week 1 of the season. The Herald reports that Dolphins WRs coach Ken O'Keefe said that Parker will "play" in the first week if he is healthy and that he will have "shake the rust off." Parker was taken in the first round for the Dolphins out of Louisville.
