Griff Whalen signs with the Miami Dolphins

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins signed former Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen, giving them depth at the receiver position and allowing Whalen to compete for a roster spot.

Whalen spent the past four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2012.  He spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve, and since then has spent time back and forth between the team's practice squad and active roster.  In total, Whalen played in 33 games for the Colts (starting three) and caught 45 passes (on 69 targets) for 487 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and three touchdowns.  In addition, Whalen spent time as the Colts' kick and punt returner.  He returned 46 punts for an average of 8.2 yards per return (with a long of 51), and he returned 25 kickoffs for an average of 25.8 yards per return (with a long of 50).  Whalen proved to be a reliable player in a number of areas for the Colts during his time with the team.  In 2015, his season ended when he fractured his ribs in the team's week 15 game against the Texans, and the Colts later waived Whalen from injured reserve.

Though not always the most popular among Colts fans, Whalen was a better player than he got credit for from most of the fanbase.  He was always a reliable target for Andrew Luck and, while not an explosive returner by any means, for the most part limited mistakes (although it was a few mistakes that got him benched from the job in 2015).  When it comes to a depth receiver, you can do much worse than Griff Whalen.  He's not a great player, but he's a solid guy to have around as insurance who can help you in a number of ways.  It is a bit interesting that the Colts decided to let Whalen walk despite the lack of depth at receiver, but good for Whalen getting another shot in Miami.  For the Colts, they have T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett at receiver, along with Quan Bray (who is primarily there as a returner).  The only other player at the position currently for Indianapolis is Josh Stangby, who was signed to the practice squad late in the season and then subsequently signed to a reserve/future contract.