PaulinMyrBch said:
I think the Dobson/Amendola situation is all about matchups. Against Seattle, where they play a bunch of zone and keep guys in front of them, Amendola and Edleman as a tandem were valuable, they run quick precise routes and give Brady targets when he needs to throw it quick with an aggressive rush. If Dobson elevates his game, as a taller receiver, he'll be more valuable as the third wideout against a team that plays man coverage as primary defense. Taller and able to take advantage of matchups especially if the corners aren't particularly tall.
My guess is if Dobson plays well enough to earn playing time, it will be as the 3rd wideout and that he and Amendola will share that spot depending on matchups.
The problem that for these guys is special teams. If Dobson is a floating 3rd or 4th wideout, how often is he going to be active on game day? He literally did not play a single snap on special teams in 2014. Amendola returned kicks, but it's not clear that he's a good solution there. Gibson and Tyms played just a tiny handful. There aren't a lot of roster spots for backups who don't contribute in the kicking game.
Along those lines, a guy that intrigues me is Travaris Cadet. He played a lot of special teams last year - 9th on the Saints, playing 35.7% - and can return kicks. He's listed as a running back, but he played some WR in college, and the Saints really used him as a receiver. Per
Brian F he ran 185 routes last year and only had 10 carries. For his NFL career he's been targeted with a pass 61 times and has just 11 carries. And as Brian also points out, the Saints lined him up everywhere. Rather than carry a fourth or fifth WR who will play sparingly on both offense and special teams, Cadet as a fifth or sixth RB might make sense - he can backup White in the third-down role, return kicks, do some gadget plays, back up at slot WR, and contribute on special teams.