In another step in the Dolphins freeing themselves from the ill-advised contracts given out at the end of the Jeff Ireland era, schemes change more than players, and that appears to be the case in the perceived peaks and decline of Hartline.
| Year | Rec | Rec NEP | Targets | Target NEP | Rec NEP/Target | Catch Rate | Rec Successes | Rec Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 39 | 44.95 | 63 | 23.44 | 0.71 | 61.90% | 35 | 89.74% |
| 2013 | 76 | 81.97 | 1340 | 23.92 | 0.61 | 56.72% | 69 | 90.79% |
| 2012 | 74 | 83.19 | 131 | 33.65 | 0.64 | 56.49% | 68 | 91.89% |
| 2011 | 35 | 48.44 | 66 | 14.64 | 0.73 | 53.03% | 33 | 94.29% |
| 2010 | 43 | 42.00 | 72 | 9.62 | 0.58 | 59.72% | 37 | 86.05% |
Despite posting his lowest Reception NEP since 2010, 2014 saw Hartline have his second highest Reception NEP per Target of the past five years, along with his highest catch rate. If we prorate Hartline’s per target numbers in 2014 to his 2013 targets, he’d come away with 95.14 Reception NEP which would be just behind per Spotrac.com.
Additionally, terminating the contract of Wallace would create some more cap space, and it’s likely at least one or two of those previously mentioned players is also released or restructured. Miami has been on the brink of playoff contention in the past two seasons, but in order to improve the roster, the front office will have to get creative with the salary cap to bring some other useful players in to help.