Dolphins Position Outlook: Wide Receivers

Can somebody beyond Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle step up and make an impact?

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. plays with a football during mandatory minicamp at the Baptist Health Training Complex. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

After making the playoffs for a second straight season under coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins are still looking for their first playoff win since 2000. The quest for that victory starts with training camp.

The Dolphins had a surprisingly eventful offseason for a team that started with so little cap space. The team lost homegrown talents like Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt but added exciting veterans like Odell Beckham Jr., Kendall Fuller, Calais Campbell and Jordyn Brooks.

This series will break down each position on the Dolphins’ roster, providing fans with an in-depth look at each player’s outlook for the coming 2024 season.

This article covers the wide receivers.

DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER OUTLOOKS

Tyreek Hill

2023 Stats: 119 receptions, 1,799 receiving yards, 13 receiving touchdowns, 15.1 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: To nobody’s surprise, Tyreek Hill is expected to be the centerpiece of Miami’s offense again this season. The veteran speedster broke his own team record for receiving yards last season and scored six more touchdowns.

It’s hard to imagine anyone besides a quarterback winning MVP, but Hill has a real case for how valuable he is to Miami’s offense. He should be a contender for Offensive Player of the Year every season.

Jaylen Waddle

2023 Stats: 72 receptions, 1,014 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 14.1 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: The Dolphins gave Jaylen Waddle an $84.75 million extension this offseason, solidifying his place on the offense for the foreseeable future.

Waddle’s counting numbers went down last season, but he was still one of the NFL’s best “WR2s” by a comfortable margin. We should expect more of the same in 2024. 

Odell Beckham Jr.

2023 Stats (with Ravens): 35 receptions, 565 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns, 16.1 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: Beckham Jr. is arguably the team’s most notable offseason addition to the offense. The veteran receiver spent last season in Baltimore and contributed well in a limited role.

In Miami, Beckham will be expected to take some of the burden off Hill and Waddle’s shoulders. Those two have carried the offense for two straight seasons with little help from other playmakers.

Beckham isn’t the same player he was with the Giants — or the Browns, even — but he’s still a good route runner with solid downfield receiving chops. If he can haul in between 40 to 45 catches for 500 to 600 yards, that should be considered a successful season.

Braxton Berrios

2023 Stats: 27 receptions, 238 receiving yards, 8.8 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: Berrios didn’t make much of an impact on offense last season, but he was the team’s primary returner.

For this season, Berrios will have more competition for his slot role. The team drafted two slot receivers, and with Beckham’s addition, Waddle and/or Hill could get more reps from the slot. Even tight end Jonnu Smith factors into the slot conversation a bit.

If Berrios is going to make the team, he’ll have to take advantage of the new kickoff rules and fend off any contenders for the punt return position.

Erik Ezukanma

2023 Stats: Zero catches, five rushing attempts for 22 yards

2024 Outlook: This season feels like Ezukanma’s last chance to carve out a long-term role within Miami’s offense. The former fourth-round pick didn’t get much playing time last season before landing on IR with a neck injury, and this year’s receiver room is arguably more competitive than last year’s.

Ezukanma’s advantage over other receivers is his size. At 6-2, he’s the team’s tallest receiver and one of just two listed taller than 6 feet. That said, Ezukanma might need to make waves on special teams to make the final roster.

River Cracraft

2023 Stats: 9 receptions, 121 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 13.4 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: Cracraft is a Mike McDaniel favorite, but he’s got a lot of competition for the backup slot role this offseason. He’s coming off a season where he missed some time with a shoulder injury.

However, he did make the most of the few opportunities he got in 2023. Cracraft will need to earn his keep on special teams and hold off some younger options on offense.

Braylon Sanders

2023 Stats: Did not play

2024 Outlook: Sanders didn’t play last season after suffering a knee injury during the team’s joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons and ended up on the practice squad.

Sanders is a long shot to make the team again this offseason, but his speed does make him a prototype outside receiver in the offense and a solid option as a gunner on special teams.

Anthony Schwartz

2023 Stats: Did not play

2024 Outlook: Schwartz didn’t play last season after landing on the Cleveland Browns injured reserve before the start of the season. He’s another player who fits the Dolphins’ speed archetype. Schwartz ran a 4.26 40-yard dash at Auburn’s Pro Day.

His best chance with the Dolphins is to use that speed on special teams. Schwartz could be a kick return option with the new rules. Regardless, Schwartz has an uphill battle to make the roster.

Malik Washington

2023 Stats (college): 110 catches, 1,426 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, 13 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: It’s dangerous to be overly optimistic about a fifth-round rookie, but as we wrote following the draft, Washington has a path to being a legitimate contributor.

Washington is a perfect fit for the Dolphins’ offense. He did all the things Miami asks its receivers to do in college at Virginia last season while showing impressive toughness and ball skills. If the Dolphins are looking for a pure slot this year, Washington might be their best option.

Tahj Washington

2023 Stats (college): 59 receptions, 1,062 receiving yards, 8 receiving yards, 18 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: Tahj Washington is the other late-round receiver the Dolphins selected in the 2024 NFL draft. Like Malik, Tahj is an undersized slot option.

His college film wasn’t as impressive as Malik’s, but Tahj is a solid route runner with good ball skills. He does have some return experience, which might be his best bet to make the 53-man roster. If he doesn’t, the practice squad feels like a safe bet.

Je'Quan Burton

2023 Stats (college): 24 receptions, 277 receiving yards, 2 receiving yards, 11.5 yards per reception

2024 Outlook: We sound like a broken record, but Burton is yet another undersized slot receiver. The UDFA from Florida Atlantic profiles more as a kick return option, which he did 48 times across five college seasons.

DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER SUPERLATIVES

Fastest: Tyreek Hill

Best Route Runner: Tyreek Hill

Most Versatile: Jaylen Waddle

Best Hands: Odell Beckham Jr.

Return Ability: Braxton Berrios

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR DOLPHINS WRs

Can the Dolphins Find a Viable Third Option?

This is the same question we asked about the Dolphins’ receiver room last season. Although the team added Beckham and both Washingtons, this remains a legitimate concern.

Signing Beckham makes plenty of sense, and if he’s going to be successful, somewhere like Miami is an ideal spot. However, he’s 31 and has battled injuries practically every season for quite some time now. Since 2019, Beckham has played in more than 10 games twice.

His 14 games with the Ravens last year were his most since 2019, when he played in 16 games with the Browns. Schematically, Beckham is a good option to take some attention away from Hill and Waddle.

He can line up outside, allowing Hill and Waddle to spend some time in the slot, and he’s fast enough to threaten defenses vertically. The fit makes sense, but if Hill and/or Waddle get hurt, asking Beckham to be a high-volume contributor is quite risky.

Besides Beckham, the Dolphins have a slew of undersized, primary slot receivers. Berrios, Cracraft, Tahj Washington and Malik Washington essentially serve the same purpose on offense.

Berrios and Cracraft are probably better on special teams, and both Washingtons were late-round picks for a reason. Malik Washington’s skill set projects the best to immediate success, but relying on a rookie to be a high-volume contributor isn’t ideal.

Obviously, someone stepping up as a consistent WR3 matters for injury reasons.

However, the Dolphins offense is the most specialized in the league, so missing Hill and Waddle actually goes beyond missing great players. Without those speed threats, Miami’s offense can become disjointed.

Route timing is key to everything the Dolphins do on offense, so players like Malik Washington and Beckham need to be more than just “fast.” They must be entirely on point with route depths and coverage adjustments.

Whether it’s fair to expect that of a Day 3 rookie and an aging veteran who has never played in an offense like this before is a legitimate question.

Ultimately, the Dolphins’ offense needs to find “change-ups” this season, players or concepts that keep defenses off their bread-and-butter plays. One of the biggest developments could be a legitimate third option who can execute the Dolphins’ best plays and bring something different.

Beckham and Malik Washington have the potential to do those things. Still, each has potential pitfalls to overcome before they can be counted on with confidence.