In an alternate world, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Anthony Schwartz fancies his doppelganger is about to go for the gold in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 4-by-100-meter relay at the Summer Olympics.
“I have no regrets on what decision I chose because football’s done a lot for me and was always my first love,” Schwartz said on Friday. “But there is a universe out there where I’m suiting up right now, flying over the Paris, getting ready to dominate the 1, 2, 4-by-1.”
Medal-worthy speed has become the calling card of the Dolphins’ offense with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. After spending the final nine weeks of Miami’s 2023 season on the Miami practice squad, Schwartz hopes his speed will help him stick on the team’s 53-man roster in 2024.
“My outlook is just to do the best that I can and bring something to the team,” Schwartz said, “because, you know coach (Mike) McDaniel, he loves speed, and I got a lot of it. I feel like I can just help bring more to the table. Those guys, they can’t play 90 straight plays, so if they need a blow, I want to be able to go in there so we just be able to keep that threat out there as long as there’s receivers out there.”
The former Auburn wide receiver was available to sign with the Dolphins on Nov. 13 because the Cleveland Browns had waived him from injured reserve on Sept. 19. When the Browns reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 players in August 2023, they waived Schwartz. But because he had a hamstring problem, he carried an injury designation and reverted to Cleveland’s injured reserve when he went unclaimed on waivers.
Schwartz re-signed with Miami on Jan. 15.
“When I was in Cleveland two years ago when we were coming down to play Miami, they had me being Tyreek for scout team,” Schwartz said. “And just everything I was doing, I was like, ‘I like this.’ From that point on if I can get the chance to come down here, not only is it back at home, back in the sun, it’s a place I’m familiar with and an offense that I feel like can fit my skill set really well, and so that was kind of the breaking point. Then when they gave me the opportunity, I jumped on it.”
The Browns selected Schwartz in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft hoping his speed would stretch the field for their offense. Schwartz started his NFL career with three receptions for 69 yards in Cleveland’s 33-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 12, 2021, but he never reached either of those stats again in 24 more games with the Browns.
As a rookie with Cleveland, Schwartz caught 10 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown, ran six times for 39 yards and returned 15 kickoffs for a 21.5-yard average. He was on the field for 295 offensive snaps and 52 special-teams plays in 14 games in 2021. He missed three games after sustaining a concussion on Nov. 14, 2021, during a 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
In 2022, Schwartz had played in 11 games and had four receptions for 51 yards and four rushing attempts for 57 yards and one touchdown when he sustained a concussion in a 27-14 victory over the Houston Texans on Dec. 4. Schwartz missed the final five games of the season. In his second NFL campaign, Schwartz was on the field for 107 offensive snaps and 88 special-teams plays.
After joining the Dolphins last season, Schwartz did not get into a game.
“I’d say it’s a roller coaster,” Schwartz said of his NFL career. “It’s had its ups and downs, but I’m blessed to still have an opportunity to make a football team, blessed to still be able to play. Most of the guys don’t make it past two years, so I’m blessed to go on to Year 4 and have another chance to make this roster.”
Miami will open its three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 9 against the Atlanta Falcons and will kick off its regular-season slate on Sept. 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“My hopes really are I just want to make the team and do whatever I can to help this team get over the hump and help this team win,” Schwartz said, “because, as everyone knows now, we have the longest playoff-win drought, and so our goal is not only to end that drought, we want to win the whole thing. But to do that, you got to win a playoff game and so whatever I can do to help the team win, whether it’s on offense, special teams, whether it’s being on scout team again just getting reps, I just want to do whatever I can to help this team win, and, hopefully, it can be with me being on the roster and just being able to do something on the field to help this team go where we know we can go.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
