Coach Joe Philbin confirmed after Monday's OTA practice that Ochocinco had been given a workout by the Dolphins, although he declined to say exactly when that happened."We're going to do our homework," Philbin said. "We're going to investigate. We're just doing our due diligence and investigating things. We had him for a workout and we'll see where things go."
Adding Ochocinco, released after only one season in New England, certainly would add star power to a receiving corps lacking a bona fide big name.
But Philbin was quick to say that looking at Ochocinco didn't mean the Dolphins are unhappy with their wide receiver corps.
"It's not an indictment of any of the players that we have," Philbin said. "We like the players that we have working at this position at this point and time. I don't think it's any different than any position. You always evaluate your roster."
After the offseason trade of Brandon Marshall, the receiving corps is now led by Davone Bess and Brian Hartline, with the rest of the group including free agent pick-up Legedu Naanee, Clyde Gates, Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore.
"It's a competitive situation," Philbin said. "At some point in time, you'd like some players to maybe make it easy and distinguish themselves, maybe make the picture a little bit clearer. At certain times, we've had guys that have some real productive stretches. ... I think we have to catch the ball more consistently at every position on offense because it's not quite where it needs to be."