The Miami Dolphins are targeting free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace this offseason, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Wallace, who sought an extension from the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and held out of training camp until two weeks before the start of the season is not expected to return to the Steelers in 2013. He played last season on a one-year, $2.7 million deal.
Wallace is seeking a $60 million deal, reports Yahoo! sports, and the Dolphins could be willing to give him what he is looking for. The Dolphins lacked a big-time pass catcher last year after dealing occasional malcontent Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears last offseason. Marshall went on to haul in 118 passes from Jay Cutler for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Last year Wallace caught 64 passes for 836 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. He averaged 13.1 yards per reception, just 49th in the NFL last year, which could be troubling for Wallace, who is widely regarded as one of the premier deep threats in the NFL. The 13.1 yards per reception was the lowest of Wallace's career, a three-yard dip from 2011 and nearly an eight-yard drop from his peak in 2010.
The Dolphins top receiver last season was Brian Hartline, who caught 4.6 balls a game but only scored one touchdown. Dolphins wide receivers combined for only two touchdown catches. Their top scorers in terms of receiving were tight end Anthony Fasano (five TDs) and free agent running back Reggie Bush (two TDs).
Promising rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggled at times, throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12) but much of that is attributed to a lack of weapons. In addition, Tannehill was drafted because of his strong arm, but he lacked the speed at the wide receiver position to threated defenses with long passes.
Other top free agent wide receivers the Dolphins could consider are Greg Jennings, Wes Welker and Danny Amendola.
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