Lynn Bowden Jr. is dealing with hamstring injury at Dolphins OTAs

Lynn Bowden Jr. is entering his third season in the National Football League, and the journey to this point has been a bumpy ride for the former All-American. The all-purpose offensive threat was traded by the Las Vegas Raiders shortly after his career began and is still looking for a full-time home in Miami.

The former third-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft was placed on injured reserve before last season and did not play a single snap for the AFC East franchise. However, Miami is now rebuilding as Kyle Shanahan disciple Mike McDaniel has taken over in South Florida. The new regime is intrigued with Bowden’s skillset, but the injury bug has not gone away.

“He does have an interesting skill set,” McDaniel said about Bowden on Tuesday. “I’ve always been drawn to players that have multiple positions — specifically quarterback experience — because of the way they see the game. Lynn’s been battling some hamstring stuff. He’s been diligent in the meeting room.

The clean slate seems to be good for Bowden as the multi-positional player is trying to find a home in Miami. The Dolphins just saw former first-round pick Jaylen Waddle post big numbers (104 receptions) as a rookie, traded for Tyreek Hill, and signed free agent Cedrick Wilson to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a trio of dynamite weapons on the outside. Meanwhile, McDaniel is bringing over the Shanahan wide zone run scheme from San Francisco as the Dolphins could get run-heavy. However, depth is needed.

Lynn Bowden Jr. has a shot to land the WR4 or WR5 role to make the 53-man roster in Miami this season. The versatility he can bring to the offense could give McDaniel another weapon. The new head coach isn’t worried about the skill talent missing time now. The organization is just focused on getting the explosive playmaker healthy.

“I don’t really get ahead of myself when I’m really looking at our team and I don’t think his teammates should either,” McDaniel said. “We’ll know if Lynn’s ready to contribute to the team when he’s on the field, and we’re trying to get him there. I know he’s making sure that he’s prepared for his opportunity when he is healthy.”

After trading veteran DeVante Parker to the New England Patriots on April 2, there is suddenly room to add depth pieces at receiver. Bowden will get a crack at landing one of those spots as long as the former all-purpose star at Kentucky can get healthy by the time training camp rolls around later this summer.