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NFL

Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry trying to shake 'slot receiver' tag

By FoxSports
Published | Updated
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Aug 23, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry (14) prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry was one of the most effective slot receivers in the league last year. He caught 84 passes for 758 yards in his first season in the league, most of which came as an inside receiver.
To Landry, though, that's not good enough. As good as he is from the slot, he doesn't want to be known as just a slot receiver. Fortunately for the second-year receiver, he's geting more looks on the outside -- much to his delight.
"Absolutely, I'm excited about the opportunity that I've been getting," Landry said, via James Walker of ESPN. "I think for me now is just try to continue to develop, continue to evolve as we move forward schematically and try to make plays. I think that's what we all have to do, to compete at a high level."
The Dolphins have a number of new receivers on the roster this year, most notably Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, and DeVante Parker. Stills is a deep threat regardless of where he lines up, while Jennings and Parker are probably better suited on the outside. Because of that, Landry may not see as many chances on the outside as he'd like, but he's getting looks right now at the very least.
"I think he's got a chance to do that. He's lined up in a variety of spots. He's done some things outside," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. "I think his natural home base is still inside, but he certainly has shown the ability [to do more], he's a real quality route-runner. He can run different routes that you want on the outside.
"The beauty of him is he doesn't slow down when he's coming out of cuts. So if he can get on top of the (defensive back), he doesn't waste any time whatsoever. That's really, to me, is what makes him effective."
It'll be interesting to see how many times Landry actually does line up on the outside, given the success he's had in the slot. There's nothing wrong with working primarily in the slot as guys like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman do, but it's clear Landry wants to be more.
(h/t ESPN)