The mystery of five: Either too many ends, not enough receivers - The number five is confusing fans

Why, oh, why did the Dolphins keep five? That is all Miami Dolphins Twitter can keep asking. Five receivers are not enough, or five tight ends are too many; confusion has officially set in.

Stacked at the receiver position, Miami found themselves with a hard thing to figure out. For a team with eight NFL-ready receivers, how do they cut down to six? But Miami’s front office, led by General Manager Chris Grier, decided to make a hard choice even harder. Instead of cutting two, they cut three.

Promising camp stars like Lynn Bowden Jr., Brylon Sanders, and River Cracraft seemed to have worked to remain in the league. All four before camp looked to be easy cuts, but these players rose to the occasion in a receiver room with so much top-end talent, along with receivers coach Wes Welker.

So why did the Miami Dolphins front office keep one less receiver and one extra tight end? To start, Mike Gesicki played more receiver than the tight end all of his previous four years on the Miami Dolphins. His 4.4’s 40-yard dash time and long, athletic frame support his ability to play receiver full time. But look for offensive mad scientist Mike McDaniel to move him all over, then quickly shift to different spots after defenses get set.

Secondly, Tanner Conner is another big man with the size, speed, and athleticism to play in the slot and out wide if needed. This college receiver is only in his first year as a tight end. Connor moved positions to better his chances of playing in the league. This former Idaho State receiver should look like Gesicki’s backup for moving and shifting TE/WR come game day.

Lastly, Miami has backs that can be in the backfield and also split out wide. Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert both have experience with those types of roles along with natural pass-catching ability.

So Miami has clarified one thing with the initial 53-man roster they assembled. They want defenses to be unclear who is playing where. Do you give Gesicki and Conner a linebacker or corner/safety? Do Edmonds and Mostert get a linebacker? Game days defenses will need to be on their toes because Miami has multiple pieces at receiver, which are not even receivers!