The Miami Dolphins lack talent at the wide receiver position and rumors are swirling that Greg Jennings of the Packers might be available before the week 8 trading deadline.  The Dolphins currently have only 3 wide receivers that are good enough to play in the NFL on a regular basis…..and even that is debatable.  Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Armstrong are those 3 receivers.

Bess is the Dolphins best receiver, but he works best when he’s in the slot.  Hartline is still working his way back from a calf injury, but looks to be getting healthy.  Even so, he’s averaged under 600 yards and less than 2 TDs per season since the Dolphins drafted him.  Armstrong had a good 2010 season, racking up 870 receiving yards and 3 TDs.  But last year he didn’t get much playing time and caught only 7 balls for 109 yards.  Beyond that the Dolphins have Legedu Naanee, Marlon Moore, and Rishard Matthews.  Naanee has stone hands in games, Moore is a great special teamer, but lacks consistency at WR, and Matthews is a rookie.

So it’s clear the Dolphins lack talent AND depth at wide receiver.  The Packers, by contrast, have a TON of quality wideouts (Driver, Cobb, Jennings, Jones, Nelson).  The Packers number one receiver is Greg Jennings, who missed last night’s game with a groin injury.  Jennings has Pro Bowl talent, but he’s set to become a free agent at the end of this season.  As Bob McGinn writes in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, the Packers might be wise to trade Jennings because they can’t afford to give him the type of deal he’ll demand.

Jennings has 3- 1,000 yard seasons.  He’s averaged 8 TDs per season since 2006.  He’s averaged over 14 yards per catch EVERY season that he’s been in the NFL.  He will be 29 years old a week from today, but he could be just what the Dolphins need.  After all, Joe Philbin coached Jennings in Green Bay, so his transition to the Dolphins offense would be relatively easy.  The question is whether or not Philbin wants him and IF the Dolphins want to dole out a big contract along with giving up a draft pick (or 2).

McGinn quotes an executive that suggest the Packers might be content getting a 2nd round pick for Jennings.  Would you have traded Vontae Davis for a legit #1 receiver?  Because that 2nd round pick is probably what the Dolphins would have to give up to acquire Jennings.  The Packers haven’t said anything publicly about the possibility of trading Jennings, but they know that they’ll either have to pay him at the end of the season or let him walk.  If I’m Jeff Ireland, I’m on the phone, seeing what the asking price is.

If the Dolphins were to acquire Jennings, he’d be the #1 wideout with Davone Bess moving to #2.  When the Dolphins go to 3 or 4 wide, they could move Bess into the slot and have Hartline/Armstrong on the outside opposite Jennings.  I think THAT sounds a lot better to Ryan Tannehill than throwing to Legedu Naanee, right?

Please stop by the Phins Forum and let us know what you think about this potential deal!