Rishard Matthews motivated by competition at the receiver position

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
When training camp opened several weeks ago, many had said that Rishard Matthews was on the roster bubble, despite playing a big role in the offense last season. With camp now over and two preseason games under his belt, it looks like a safe bet that Matthews will continue to call Miami his home. Part of the reason why Matthews has worked extra hard is because of the fact that the Dolphins selected wide receiver Jarvis Landry in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

"We picked a receiver in the second round," Matthews said. "When you do that, they want that person to play right away. … It's just brought the best out in all of us, making us want to strive to be great. I wouldn't say it made me smile. I'm not a "hater" or anything like that. I'm happy for him. I think he should have gone higher. But it definitely has brought the competition out in all of us … Everybody was like, 'OK, now we've got to come to work.' "

Joe Philbin said that Matthews has been doing a good job on the field.

"He made some good plays in the game the other night. He's been productive here on the practice field. The one thing we talk with the guys all the time about is taking the practice to the game, taking the meeting room to practice, taking the practice field to the game. He's done a good job with that."

Matthews has shown in the past and this preseason that he can make tough catches in key situations and the moment is never too big for him. Time will tell what his exact role will be on the team but it’s expected to be one that has the opportunity to make plays each week. 

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