Lynn Bowden on opportunity to pass: It felt good

[KC Wolf]

USA Today Sports

The Raiders selected Lynn Bowden in the third round of the 2020 draft, thinking the Kentucky product who started eight games at quarterback in 2019 could become an effective running back as a pro. But after just weeks of training camp, Las Vegas traded him to Miami.

The Dolphins saw Bowden as a wide receiver, and he’s been getting integrated into that position since Miami acquired him on Sept. 5. Bowden’s now received significant playing time in the last two games, notably making seven receptions for 82 yards in Miami’s Week 14 loss to Kansas City. But there were two plays on Sunday that illustrated Bowden’s potential as an offensive weapon.

In the first quarter, Bowden got a jet sweep handoff, put his arm in a throwing position, but had no one open and ultimately fired an incomplete pass. Then in the second quarter, Bowden was looking for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa across the field, but the quarterback was covered. Instead of throwing, Bowden took off for a two-yard gain.

When asked about having the opportunity to pass, Bowden sounded like a rookie who didn’t want to get in trouble for revealing too much.

“It felt good,” Bowden said, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. “I really don’t know what you all want me to say about it. I’m here. They brought me here for a reason. Without really saying too much, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve got to do.”

Bowden admitted he wanted to be a quarterback, but may have let people talk him out of it. At this point, he’s glad to be in a place where he can show off his skillset.

“It worked out for the best,” Bowden said. “It got me this far. I really wanted to play quarterback, but things worked out on the other hand at receiver for me and I really just ran with it.”

Per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said Tuesday that Bowden responded to the team asking more of him and he’ll be a larger part of the offense going forward.