(photo credit: CincyJungle)
It seems Chad Johnson was on a one-strike policy since arriving in Miami. And his most recent arrest for misdemeanor battery against his wife, Everlyn, was that one strike it seems for the Dolphins.
Chad Johnson, less than 24 hours since his arrest, was released late last night by the Dolphins. And while the Dolphins are standing by their guns, it seems like a huge reactionary decision. And a likely mistake.
MDD Lead Editor: Eric Galko
Throughout camp, Chad Johnson has been among the best receivers in camp. And while Davone Bess is still set to be the Dolphins top receiver and Legadu Naanee, Roberto Wallace, and Julius Pruitt have now stepped up in practice and games, it still would have meant a lot to have a veteran presence in the receiving corps.
The charges in black and white are certainly serious. Man against wife crimes are something that should never be taken lightly. But we don’t quite know the details of the actual event of the night, and it’s unfair to assume severity of a crime that needs to be considered seriously. As of now, there are plenty of details that could lead this to be more of an accident or a minor issue than one that deserves the negative impacts it may mean for Chad.
The Dolphins had considered other veteran receivers, most of which had previous off the field issues. Most notably, they worked out Braylon Edwards just last week, but decided against signing him. Now it seems, they could kick the tires on other veteran receivers or watch the likes of Braylon Edwards or Terrell Owens closely in pre-season.
But the Dolphins, as mentioned before, have seen the likes of Roberto Wallace and Julius Pruitt step up. Both of those receivers are no locks to make the team already, but seeing them step up is a huge plus. Still, however, neither has made a big impact in any NFL season, and to count on one of those as your 3rd or 4th receiver in a fast pace offense is risky to say the least.
As for Chad Johnson, this could be the end of the line. He didn’t have a whole lot of options this off-season to begin with. Sure, the Cowboys and Vikings could certainly use the receiver depth and likely will be among a few that consider Johnson after his arrest clears up, but with camp already started, many teams may say “thanks but no thanks” to the know off-the-field concerning receiver.
I do wish Chad the best of luck. He was a great personality for this team. He was set to be a leader and a role model for this team once he earned his stripes. And he was already displaying ability to make him a major factor in this offense. But with Joe Philbin already booting Brandon Marshall out of town, he made it clear he wasn’t going to take any nonsense what such ever. And Chad Johnson learned that lesson the very hard way. The unemployed way.
