Miami Dolphins: Greg Jennings a better option?

By Kevin Parvizi | Apr 7, 2015

The Miami Dolphins have three talented, young pass-catchers as their core in Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and Jordan Cameron, but they know that they need to give Ryan Tannehill a reliable veteran who can move the chains. After offering Michael Crabtree a contract worth approximately $3 million, only to see him reject the proposed deal, the Dolphins are busy exploring another option in Greg Jennings.

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are hosting Jennings on a visit today, and their interest in a former Joe Philbin player isn’t surprising. Although Jennings is 31 and offers just about no upside at this stage of his career, he’s easily the safest option left on the free agent market.

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That isn’t saying much, but it’s still important for the Dolphins, as their priority is likely to land someone who can get open. Landry has even better hands and route-running ability, but it would still help to add a reliable veteran to give Tannehill, who is at his best in the intermediate game.

Crabtree is a former first-round pick, is 27, and used to average around 13 yards per reception on a regular basis, so he offers more speed and, thus, upside as the No. 3 WR in the Dolphins passing attack. But he’s also earned a reputation for being a diva, and, whether that’s deserved or not, it’s curtailed his already-low interest on the open market.

After a poor 2014 season, he’ll have prove to the league that he’s more than a mediocre receiver, especially since his reject of the Dolphins deal shows that he still believes he’s a starting receiver. Crabtree has that ability, but nobody is wiling to take a chance on that after what he did last year.

The Dolphins would have given him a perfect fit and low-pressure bounce-back situation on a one-year deal, but either the money wasn’t enough or he’d rather be a starter than a guy benefiting from Landry, Stills, and Cameron. That’s fair enough, but if he truly is done with the Dolphins (perhaps he’ll circle back to them…), then Jennings is their only realistic option if they go the veteran route.

Despite the fact that he had just 59 receptions last season (less than Crabtree), Jennings played significantly better than the former 49er in 2014, as he turned those receptions in 742 yards (44 more than Crabtree) due to a solid 12.6 yards per reception average. Throw in six touchdowns, and you get a receiver who is still a tad better at making plays than some think, and there’s a good chance he isn’t as washed up as some people think.

The bottom line is that Greg Jennings put up a 64.8% catch rate and 8.2 yards per target as the main part of the Vikings passing attack, and he showed that he’s still a very good intermediate option. Nowadays, he’s ideally a No. 3 receiver, but he could be as good as a No. 2 guy. Dwayne Bowe looks like the Cleveland Browns potential No. 2 receiver right now, and you could argue that Jennings was better last season, though his offense was more conducive to production than Bowe’s.

In any case, Jennings is a good route-runner who quietly produced in his two seasons with the Vikings despite quarterback questions at points, and he started to gain ground once Teddy Bridgewater hit his groove after initial struggles born out of an insane amount of pressure allowed by the offensive line.

Per Pro Football Focus, Jennings had five drops in each of the past two seasons, so he isn’t a truly sure-handed wideout. However, his hands aren’t bad, and he’s reliable because of his ability to gain separation with savvy, veteran moves.

The solid catch rate and yards per target numbers over the past two seasons show that while Jennings isn’t anything resembling the type of receiver he was in Green Bay, he’s still a credible wideout and would likely be a strong No. 3 option behind Stills and Landry (he’d start at the “Z” in three-wide sets).

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings (15) catches a pass in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Now, is Jennings a better option for the Miami Dolphins than Crabtree? It’s a fair question, and while I would tentatively go with Crabtree since he’s 27 and has a higher ceiling, Jennings also has a higher floor and is just as good at working the intermediate regions of the field on the inside or outside.

As a No. 3 receiver, you could do a lot worse than Jennings, though it is somewhat troubling to see that no team has picked him up to this point. I mean, even the WR-needy Carolina Panthers turned him down, though they seem to value youth a lot more than most teams right now (they already have the likes of Jerricho Cotchery).

It all comes down to cost, and since Jennings is likely asking for less, then he’s the better fit for the Dolphins. There probably isn’t much separating the two on a one-year deal, and I think either of them work for the Dolphins. Crabtree is the better option, and there’s a reason why this team went after him first, even though Philbin and Jennings are familiar with each other.

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