Is Chosen the new speedster in the Dolphins offense?
Robbie Chosen’s childhood dream was to score touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins, and the South Plantation High product finally made that happen last Sunday.
After being elevated up from the practice squad to the game-day roster, the Dolphins used Chosen to replace a sidelined Jaylen Waddle in Miami's 70-20 historic win over the Denver Broncos and he scored a 68-yard touchdown on a fourth-quarter pass from Mike White, beating Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. on a double move before catching a deep pass and outsprinting Surtain to the end zone.
But it wasn’t just that one play that motivated the Dolphins to sign the eight-year veteran to the active roster Saturday, joining Cameron Goode as the two practice squad players signed to the 53-man roster, putting them in position to play in Miami’s AFC East showdown against the Buffalo Bills.
It was his overall performance in practice that week, and his contributions since joining the franchise this offseason, that seemingly won over coach Mike McDaniel and the entire team.
"His speed is something that you have to account for and makes it a little more difficult for defenses to just hone in on Tyreek (Hill), especially when Jaylen is not out there," said McDaniel, who claimed the plays Chosen made in the run game made the coaches abandon their initial plan of having the receivers rotate in and out of the Denver game. "He is able to execute tasks that seem menial, that are huge, that allows you to be on the field to make plays.”
Even with Waddle returning from the concussion that sidelined him last week, don’t be surprised if Chosen continues to be a key component of the Dolphins offense.
WHAT CHOSEN CAN DO FOR THE OFFENSE
His ability to space the field with his speed would add a fifth playmaker with track-like speed to the offense, potentially allowing the Dolphins to stretch the field even more.
Miami uses the threat of the deep ball to keep defenses honest, preventing them from putting a safety in the box. That's likely why it was Chosen who replaced Waddle for most of the base offensive snaps against Denver when every receiver was healthy.
"[Chosen's] playmaking ability is very intriguing to us, and one of the reasons why he’s here,” McDaniel said. “But it’s his immersion into the offense that allows him to actually do something with it on Sundays.”
One thing Chosen has on his side is his experience level. He's started 86 games, which is more than any other Dolphins receiver except for Tyreek Hill.
It's that speed that has enabled this former undrafted rookie from Temple to earn a starting spot with the New York Jets as a rookie in 2016, and has helped him accumulate 5,024 yards and score 30 touchdowns on 376 receptions.
Now he’ll have a chance to add more to his NFL resume with the team he grew up rooting for.
"It was a dream come true. Dream became reality," said Chosen, who played 42 snaps last Sunday, which was more than any other wide receiver on the team. "All thanks to God for blessing me to be in this position, and be part of this team. Being here means the world to me. It was definitely a dream to score that touchdown, especially in an impactful game, and to be contributing towards winning.
"That's what I've been waiting for, and working for my whole career. That's why I was so eager to come be a Dolphin. I'm just thankful to be here."
