Who will step up as Dolphins’ third wide receiver option behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle?
After an initial wave of free agency that saw Trent Sherfield depart to the Buffalo Bills and Braxton Berrios come in from the New York Jets in a pair of intra-division moves, the question now is who the Dolphins will rely on after that star Hill-Waddle combination? Could Cedrick Wilson Jr. have a bounce-back season after the Dolphins invested free-agent money...
In Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Miami Dolphins possess what many would agree is the NFL’s top wide receiver tandem.
After an initial wave of free agency that saw Trent Sherfield depart to the Buffalo Bills and Braxton Berrios come in from the New York Jets in a pair of intra-division moves, the question now is who the Dolphins will rely on after that star Hill-Waddle combination?
Will it be Berrios, in a return to the stadium where he played his college football with the Miami Hurricanes? Could Cedrick Wilson Jr. have a bounce-back season after the Dolphins invested free-agent money in him last offseason? How about Erik Ezukanma making a Year 2 leap after a quiet rookie campaign? Or River Cracraft making another stride after proving himself a viable option in 2022?
The Dolphins have all those receivers plus returning members from last season’s practice squad in Braylon Sanders and Freddie Swain to compete throughout the offseason and into training camp.
It makes wide receiver appear like a position the Dolphins are unlikely to prioritize on Day 2 of the draft, when they have a selection in the second and third round on April 28, but general manager Chris Grier is often one to take who he perceives as the best player available over drafting by positional needs. After all, the selection of Ezukanma in the fourth round of the past draft surprised many.
Hill and Waddle are back for a second season together after a historic 2022 in Hill’s seventh professional season, first in Miami, and Waddle’s sophomore year in the NFL.
Hill set Dolphins records for receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,710) in a season. Waddle’s 1,356 receiving yards were third-most in franchise history. The two finished second and seventh in the NFL, respectively, in 2022. Their combined 3,066 yards were the third-most for a pair of teammates in an NFL season (behind the St. Louis Rams’ Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce at 3,106 in 2000 and Detroit Lions’ Herman Moore and Brett Perriman at 3,174 in 1995).
Sherfield was a surprise as the Dolphins’ No. 3 receiver in 2022, going for 30 receptions, 417 yards and two touchdowns last season. After his breakout season, he now heads to the Bills.
Entering the past season, that level of production was expected to come from Wilson, after he was signed to a three-year, $22 million deal that followed an ascending tenure with the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson had just 12 receptions for 136 yards in Year 1 in Miami.
If not from Wilson, maybe Sherfield’s production could be replaced by Berrios. He comes to Miami with familiarity to a similar offense with the Jets, and McDaniel could stand to find a plethora of ways to get him involved from the slot to complement Hill and Waddle.
Cracraft started the 2022 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad, but after using his three free elevations to the active roster the first three weeks of the season, he found his full-time spot on the 53-man roster. Following McDaniel and wide receivers coach Wes Welker from San Francisco, he ended up with nine catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.
Ezukanma will have an offseason to dig into the playbook and better prepare himself for the expectations of playing wide receiver in the NFL after playing collegiately at Texas Tech. After being inactive for the first 16 games last season, he debuted in the regular-season finale and made a catch for 3 yards.
Sanders, when brought up from the practice squad as an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss, made two receptions for 17 yards. With Swain, the former Florida Gator, brought back after finishing last regular season poached from Miami’s practice squad for a spot on the Broncos’ roster, those two will also get a chance to compete to make the Dolphins’ roster in 2023.
<u>Previously addressed</u>
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Dolphins still have work to do on offensive line either through draft or later in free agency
Dolphins quarterback breakdown: Mike White, Skylar Thompson to compete behind Tua Tagovailoa
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