Justin Hunter claimed on waivers; Whalen dropped

http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/article-1/Dolphins-Acquire-Hunter-Make-Other-Roster-Moves/2ec8073f-48ea-46ee-836e-5874d486c335

Thoughts? Hunter showed some promise his rookie season, took a big step back last year following his arrest for assault and injuries to his ankle and spleen. Price is right, anyway.

I don't like the move. Whalen is a versatile player who can play all three WR spots and can return kicks and punts, and he seemed to have developed a chemistry with Tannehill. Hunter is a walking disaster who has great size and not much else. If you're a WR and can't earn a spot on the Titans, that's a big problem.

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking Hunter was signed as insurance for Parker. Carroo clearly isn't ready, and if Parker is out the offense really has no size at all. Hunter is 6'4" so he gives the Phins that big body they miss without Parker.

I'm not thrilled, nor am I disappointed.  I can see the logic here.  Hunter is a young guy with size and speed, the arrow is still pointing "up" on him.

If he matures and commits himself to improving, his ceiling is certainly higher than Whalen.  

We're going to have to see how it turns out, hard to make a snap judgement call before we see what happens with Hunter.

One more point to add, Shawn Jefferson coached him in Tennessee, so the team has excellent insight into the intangibles with the player here. Whatever happens as a result of the move, they went in with eyes wide open.

I love the move. Solid depth for a change. I also think Hunter will be highly motivated. It's his last stop. Just like Pead, I expect Hunter to play like his hair is on fire.

Birdmond wrote:I love the move.  Solid depth for a change.  I also think Hunter will be highly motivated.  It's his last stop.  Just like Pead, I expect Hunter to play like his hair is on fire.  

The only thing I like is Hunter's height/weight ratio.  Otherwise, he seems like another soft player with no heart.  His job was on the line from day one in Tennessee, with fans and coaches calling him out since he was drafted - and it never made a difference.  I suppose getting cut could be the kick in the ass he needs, but I'm not counting on it.  If Shawn Jefferson couldn't help him in Tennessee, how will he help him in Miami?  Hopefully the Phins can at least take advantage of his size in red zone situations every now and then.

The other issue is, can Hunter play special teams?  I don't think he can...and if not, it will be difficult for him to get on the active roster.  (As FYI - I checked special teams tackles online at https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/defense-special-teams-total-tackles?season_id=13, and Hunter wasn't listed at all in 2013, 2014 or 2015.  I assume that means he didn't have any STs tackles...)

On the whole, I don't mind it since he has greater upside than Whalen and this team is going nowhere in 2016 anyway. Might as well give him a look/see this year.

thanks for keeping the seat warm

The Dolphins today waived wide receiver Justin Hunter. That opens a roster spot to promote an offensive lineman (perhaps Jamil Douglas) or a linebacker from the practice squad to give the team the necessary number of available players at either position.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2016/09/dolphins-without-four-starters-for-bengals-game-thursday-nite.html

the need to fill behind injuries at other positions made him expendable.

If he clears waivers he may still be practice squad eligible.

Hunter was a wasted roster spot, IMO.  Bringing back Jamil Douglas would be even more of a waste.

I'd look to add a LB or CB to the roster. LB is probably more important since all 3 starters are banged up and Paysinger is out.

Hopefully Carroo can step it up and catch on. If he can perform like he did in college it would be great. Anything thrown at him he came down with.

JEGnj wrote:Hopefully Carroo can step it up and catch on. If he can perform like he did in college it would be great. Anything thrown at him he came down with.

It would be nice if they used Carroo every now and then.  Grant too.  Not sure why these guys don't get a chance.  I'm not a big fan of either one, but they're on the team and the offense could use a pick-up, especially early in games.

Caroo is getting the Reshard Matthews treatment. I was actually hoping he'd be ready and then Stills could be traded at the trade deadline to a WR desperate team in the playoff hunt.

Birdmond wrote:Caroo is getting the Reshard Matthews treatment.  I was actually hoping he'd be ready and then Stills could be traded at the trade deadline to a WR desperate team in the playoff hunt.  

That would have been an ideal situation, especially since Stills has played pretty well and may actually have some value.

well Hunter was just released, I was hoping that they were keeping him

Not sure if Caroo hasn't got run because of his preparedness or Tannehill just doesn't look his way that often.

I see Sims, Stills, and Landry as usual as the primary targets this week. Drake will get some touches as i feel he is a lot better suited for the passing game.

I'm tired of fighting the current...the most success we've had is because of the pass. We need to pass until we can run. It's that simple.

And why is everyone all of sudden suprised that our pass pro is a lot more improved? We have 4 LT playing on this line.....whats so hard to understand

It sounds to me like both Caroo and Grant are off running the wrong routes. They don't know the offense well enough to crack the lineup over Landry, Parker and Stills - unless an injury happens, when we saw Caroo a couple weeks ago for a bit.

Some rookies take more time to pick up a pro offense than others.

Some rookies end up being Roberto Wallace too

I'm hoping Pead will get a bunch of reps since he was such a big deal at University of Cincinnati.

Crossing routes always beats zones. Evident by Landry's success on back to back crossing routes against Cleveland. So i would stick Grant in there and let him run wild on the crossing routes. he would give defenses fits. They have to respect his speed if nothing else.....My strategy would be to let him run the crossing route right under the ref.

white1 wrote:It sounds to me like both Caroo and Grant are off running the wrong routes.  They don't know the offense well enough to crack the lineup over Landry, Parker and Stills - unless an injury happens, when we saw Caroo a couple weeks ago for a bit.

Some rookies take more time to pick up a pro offense than others.  

And it seems like Dolphins rookie receivers take longer to develop than those on any other teams in the entire NFL!  Its been the same since Jimmy Johnson ran the team...the coaches change, but the results are the same - rookie receivers ALWAYS struggle to see the field on this team.

But - why can't our "offensive genius" design 2-3 plays that Grant can comfortably run?  If Grant is really this insanely dynamic player that would create major mismatches, it really shouldn't be difficult to give him even one play a game that he excels at...maybe it's a quick slant or maybe something as simple as a 'go' route.  Be creative.

mercury22nathan wrote:thanks for keeping the seat warm

The Dolphins today waived wide receiver Justin Hunter. That opens a roster spot to promote an offensive lineman (perhaps Jamil Douglas) or a linebacker from the practice squad to give the team the necessary number of available players at either position.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2016/09/dolphins-without-four-starters-for-bengals-game-thursday-nite.html

the need to fill behind injuries at other positions made him expendable.

It's official: Jamil Douglas is now on the main roster, signed off the practice squad today.  Pray to God that he doesn't have to play!! 

And while you're at it, pray for no more injuries at LB or CB...we are paper thin at both spots.

The scary part to me is that I think our own coaching staff is more afraid of Grant then the opponents!!!! Granted Special teams is different but teams are showing Grant some love......

If you've watched every game or it's recorded, go back and watch how many times they've kick the ball to Grant that he could return? They won't even give the kid a chance they are scared of him

Umix10 wrote:The scary part to me is that I think our own coaching staff is more afraid of Grant then the opponents!!!!  Granted Special teams is different but teams are showing Grant some love......

If you've watched every game or it's recorded, go back and watch how many times they've kick the ball to Grant that he could return?  They won't even give the kid a chance they are scared of him

I don't think anyone is scared of Grant - I think it's just the new way kickoffs are handled due to the rule changes.  I've watched a lot of NFL football this season, and I can probably count on one hand the number of kickoffs I've seen that were legitimately returnable.  Almost every kickoff is kicked into the endzone or inside the 5 near the sideline, making it difficult to return.  That seems to be what every team is doing.  Returnable kicks in the middle of the field are almost non-existent.

Kickoffs are understandable especially with the rule change but Punts are a different IMO.

I think Grant is a plus on special teams he's dynamic and could actually be a factor on punt returns.

Umix10 wrote:Kickoffs are understandable especially with the rule change but Punts are a different IMO.

I think Grant is a plus on special teams he's dynamic and could actually be a factor on punt returns.  

I don't think the Phins are really using him much on punt returns this year. Not sure if his hands are good enough to return punts.

Personally, when I see Grant I just see a really small, really fast guy. I have yet to see anything special about him. I've sure heard and read a lot about how great he is, but the only positives I saw from him were a couple of decent plays against 4th and 5th string non-NFL players in preseason. If he's so dynamic and explosive, I'd like to think our Boy Genius head coach could figure out some way to get him involved.

Who knows...maybe tonight Grant will get an opportunity to play???