Miami Dolphins: Can Lynn Bowden take a step forward in 2021?

The Miami Dolphins worked really hard in the 2021 offseason to upgrade the offensive weaponry for second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Not only did they sign the speedy Will Fuller in free agency, but they brought in perhaps the most dynamic playmaker in the 2021 NFL Draft and Tagovailoa’s Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins also added tight end Hunter Long in the third round out of Boston College to pair with Mike Gesicki, and drafted Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg in the second to continue to shore up the offensive line.

One of the more underrated moves the Miami Dolphins have made in the last year is the trade they made with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire 2020 third-round pick Lynn Bowden, a quarterback/running back/wide receiver hybrid out of Kentucky.

Bowden was the 80th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, no small investment for the Raiders, but Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock traded him along with a late-round pick for a 2021 fourth-round pick.

It was about as bizarre of a move as you will see considering Bowden didn’t have some type of significant off-field issue pop up.

Can Lynn Bowden emerge in year two for the Miami Dolphins?

The big question for Bowden now that he’s more than a year into his NFL career is how much can he improve from year one to year two?

It’s not accurate to say the Miami Dolphins ‘featured’ Bowden in their offense in 2020, but they certainly made it a point to explore his many talents.

Bowden threw a couple of passes last season, he lined up as a running back, and he was utilized in the short passing game pretty heavily in the 10 games and 336 snaps he played for Miami.

The Miami Dolphins clearly wanted to get Bowden involved in the short passing game to see if they could put his run after the catch abilities on display, and more often than not, Bowden was dealing with some pretty good reads by the defense on plays he was involved in.

Still, he was able to show off his elusiveness with 10 broken tackles on 37 offensive touches and 16 first downs among those 37 touches.

With Fuller and Waddle now in the mix, it’s reasonable to assume that Bowden’s snaps could be at least somewhat limited, but he should get opportunities to take advantage of the attention those guys are going to draw if the Dolphins use creative personnel groupings.

The fact that Bowden can line up as a running back or “wildcat” quarterback will allow him to get more touches in the offense than if he was just the team’s slot receiver.

Regardless of how Bowden’s career turns out, the Raiders trading him so early was a massive mistake, and the Miami Dolphins are happy to capitalize. Although his stats may not earn him Pro Bowl recognition, Bowden should be a key offensive piece for the team in 2021 and take a step forward so long as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa does the same.