Should the Miami Dolphins be in on Antonio Brown?

With two wide receivers opting out this week, should the Miami Dolphins enter the mix for Antonio Brown?

He’s probably not totally out of the woods yet, but any NFL team that may have interest in Antonio Brown knows he’s suspended for at least eight games. Atop the list of possible suitors is the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.

Two times in as many days this week, the Miami Dolphins had a wide receiver opt out of playing the 2020 season. On Tuesday it was Allen Hurns, and on Wednesday it was Albert Wilson. Those departures will stretch their depth at the position, with the hope Preston Williams is ready to go coming off a torn ACL. DeVante Parker, Williams and Jakeem Grant would be Miami’s top three wide receivers if the season started today, with Isaiah Wilson and Mack Hollins down the depth chart.

The Dolphins are sure to make move to add a wide receiver now, as easily hinted by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

The list of available free agent wide receivers includes some recognizable names–Josh Gordon (if he’s reinstated), Demaryius Thomas, Taylor Gabriel, Tavon Austin, Jarius Wright, Paul Richardson. But the biggest elephant in that particular room is Brown, who is equal parts proven talent, as one of the best wide receivers of the last decade, and potential locker room headache.

Are the Dolphins a fit for Antonio Brown?

Assessing any potential fit for Brown on the field has to start with the quarterback. The Dolphins are set to open the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, with a looming transition to rookie Tua Tagovailoa that could come at any point. Fitzpatrick is the kind of gunslinger veteran Brown should love to play with. But a switch to Tagovailoa would of course alter the equation, perhaps for the worse as the mercurial Brown gets frustrated with a lack of targets from a rookie quarterback.

Then again, Brown has to know if he gets a chance this year and blows it with behind the scenes shenanigans he won’t get another. He’s in no position to make contract demands, let alone become a distraction if things aren’t going his way.

Like any team with even a passing interest, the Dolphins have to weigh the risk-reward equation with Brown knowing he’ll miss at least half the season–assuming a full 16 games of course. But Miami has to be turning over a lot of stones in search of some wide receiver help, and in due time one of them could very well have Brown under it.