Miami Dolphins

New Dolphins receivers take center stage at OTAs

Published May. 28, 2015 3:00 p.m. ET

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DAVIE, Fla. -- With each passing year, there is mounting pressure for the Miami Dolphins to return to past glories and fulfill their potential.

Though quarterback Ryan Tannehill made great strides during offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's first year with the team and posted career numbers across the board, Miami's offense only made a marginal improvement from No. 20 to No. 17 in the league in passing yards per game. The team finished with the same 8-8 record as the prior season and with the same outcome of missing the playoffs.

The solution hardly appeared to be ridding themselves of the two veterans that had led the team in receiving yards the past two seasons. But that's precisely what the Dolphins did with Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline, who together had combined for 33 percent of the team's total receiving yards last season.

Wallace had signed a five-year, $60 million deal with much fanfare in 2013 but his talents were never truly maximized during his brief stint in Miami while Hartline's production had faded rapidly last year as his role was overtaken by rookie Jarvis Landry. Off the field, both players expressed growing frustration with their place on the team and Wallace ended up sitting out the second half of the final game of the season against the New York Jets under mysterious circumstances.

It was clear it was time to move on so the Dolphins declined to re-sign Hartline as well as Brandon Gibson and traded Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings in March. In their place, the Dolphins signed veteran Greg Jennings from the Vikings and made a trade with the New Orleans Saints for Kenny Stills. The final, most intriguing, piece was added in the first round of the draft with the selection of DeVante Parker out of Louisville with the No. 14 pick.

At the start of the team's organized team activity offseason workouts Tuesday, the coaching staff finally got their first real look at the new receiving corps. It was clear from the start that an overhaul of the unit was not only a wise decision, but one that could pay immediate dividends once the regular season begins in September. With no live contact allowed and no pads worn during the two-hour practice session, the receivers took center stage and Parker shone brightly.

"We felt really good about DeVante in rookie camp," said Lazor. "I try to watch all 11, it's not easy on the practice field but from what I saw of him today, I thought he worked really good. He made some contested catches and that's what he's expected to do. He'll keep getting better and smoother and things will happen faster but from the seat I had, so far today it was a good start."

To aid in the transition and to get a proper read on what each of the new players can bring, the team chose to constantly shuffle their receivers around throughout the session.

"I think part of it is it's year two in this system and this scheme," said head coach Joe Philbin. "We've got some new guys, so we're getting them adjusted as quickly as we possibly can. They don't necessarily have preconceived notions of, I'm a this, or I'm a that.

"What we're really doing is, installing concepts offensively as we are on defense and special teams and we want to expose guys to different things. That's one of the major focuses that we have. We talked about, we met at length as an offensive staff last week and we talked and said okay, these guys, let's get some of these guys some reps at this position and not get locked in, so if one injury occurs we're all not of the sudden reinventing the wheel so to speak."

Several players are battling for the role of fifth receiver including last year's sixth-round pick Matt Hazel as well as Rishard Matthews, who showed up for the voluntary practice but has requested to be released or traded due to his dissatisfaction with his status on the team. Even with all the increased competition, Parker emerged as the most impressive player of the day with several solid catches against Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes.

"We're coming along great," Tannehill said of his rapport with Parker. "He's a good player. You can see his athleticism, his natural ability, already. He made a bunch of good catches today -- catches where he's using his body, keeping the defender off of him. He catches the ball with his hands."

Stills and Jennings had their moments as well despite a shaky performance from the offensive line and Tannehill. Beyond impressive individual performances, together as a unit they must improve the team's issues with converting in the red zone and overall execution that was lacking last season. With a steady veteran in Jennings who can help mentor the younger players along with more athleticism and size in Stills and Parker, the potential for real change is already perceptible at this early stage of the offseason.

"I'm excited about the guys that are here," said Lazor. "I was excited about the acquiring of every single one of them that is here. They walk in the building every day with enthusiasm, they walk on the field with energy. They did it when it was on air and they did it today. I'm absolutely certain we'll be better tomorrow and that's all I can ask of them."

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.