Free Agent: Dustin Keller
Measureables
Position: TE
Born: 09/25/1984, in Lafayette, IN
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 250
College: Purdue
Rookie Year: 2008
Former Team: New York Jets
The Dolphins have continued revamping their offense by acquiring former New York Jets tight end, Dustin Keller. Keller was drafted number 30th overall in the 2008 draft by the Jets. In his first four seasons, Keller played in every game, steadily improving his numbers from year to year, culminating in a 65 catch, 815 yard season with 5 TDs in 2011. In 2012, Keller played only 8 games as he struggled with a hamstring injury during the beginning of the season and later on had trouble getting back on the field due to a high ankle sprain.
The deal is for one year, $4.25 million and is most likely a tryout to see if Keller has fully recovered from his injury-plagued 2012 campaign.
Keller is known for his 4.5 speed and ability to get open in the middle of the field. He provides a nice mismatch against tight ends. However, he does not excel as a blocker.
Because of the number of games he missed in 2012, I'm going to post his PFF week to week analysis from 2011 instead, so you can get an idea of how he can perform when healthy.
From a productivity perspective, Keller was 6th in the NFL in receiving yards and 9th in the NFL in receptions amongst tight ends. He is a nice complimentary piece in the passing game that can make defenses pay if they decide to double receivers on the outside.
