James Walker, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Dolphins' Jarvis Landry hungry for more in third year

DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry earned a distinguished award for the first time earlier this month. He was named the 98th best player in the NFL Network's Top 100, as voted by his peers.

In a league filled with more than 1,600 active players, how did being ranked 98th make Landry feel?

"I honestly was honored, but disappointed at the same time," Landry said. "I think any guy that isn't No. 1 believes he should be No. 1. If not, I don't want to play with them; I don't want them around me. That's just the way I see it, and that's my competitive nature speaking out a little bit."

Landry is not satisfied with his record-setting season in 2015. He set a new franchise mark with 110 receptions to go with 1,157 yards, but he's hungry for more in 2016.

It will be difficult for the third-year receiver to top last season's reception total. However, the Dolphins plan to increase Landry's overall effectiveness and help him better take advantage of his opportunities.

"I feel like for me, [there is] always room to get better no matter how much you've accomplished, what you've done or what you can do," Landry said. "For me, I'm focused on continuing to build on my strengths, finding weaknesses in the details of our routes, details of catching the football, assignments and trying to master them."

How can Landry improve in his third season? A good place to start is the fact that he averaged just 10.5 yards per reception last season, which ranked 105th in the NFL among qualifying receivers. Landry is not a speedster and a majority of his catches were for short and intermediate gains.

Only 10 of his 110 receptions (9 percent) went for 20 yards or more last season. New Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, who ran successful offensive systems with the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, aims to put Landry in a better position to make big plays.

Another area primed for improvement involves red zone production. Despite being targeted 165 times, sixth most in the NFL, Landry had just four receiving touchdowns. That total was tied for 57th. Red zone woes were a teamwide issue for Miami last season and Landry wasn't immune.

The Dolphins plan to help Landry stay fresh by reducing his role on special teams. Last year Landry returned 49 kickoffs and punts, which added wear and tear on his body, particularly late in the season.

Although Miami isn't completely ruling out Landry returning kicks in 2016, the team drafted rookie receiver Jakeem Grant and running back Kenyan Drake with the hopes that one or both players can relieve Landry on special teams.

"I still will always use the Antonio Brown example. He's still the Pittsburgh Steelers’ punt returner and you could argue he's their best player," Dolphins special teams coach Darren Rizzi said earlier this month. "You could argue he's one of the best receivers in the league, and he's still back there returning punts and making game-changing plays. I think the thought process is to get more options on the table. We didn't have a lot of them last year."

Look for Miami and quarterback Ryan Tannehill to do a better job of spreading the ball around in 2016. Landry is among a deep and talented group of receivers that also includes 2015 first-round pick DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, rookie Leonte Carroo and former Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron. The offensive line should also improve with the addition of No. 13 overall pick Laremy Tunsil.

The Dolphins averaged just 19.4 points per game last season, and it would be surprising if that number does not improve with the variety of weapons.

"The beauty about this offense is [it] puts guys in different positions to create mismatches," Landry said. "Everything about the league is about mismatches, finding those matchups. This offense allows guys like myself -- guys like DeVante, Jay Ajayi, the tight ends -- [opportunities]. It gives the quarterback opportunities to pick his matchups and pick the winning guy."

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