Dolphins WR Status: Wholesale Changes Ahead?
The Miami Dolphins are coming off what overall could be considered a successful season, which ended with an 11-6 record and a second consecutive playoff appearance, but there is work to be done for the team to reach the next level.
The major first step in the roster-building process will be free agency, which will kick off with the start of the new league year March 13 after the Dolphins go over their season-ending roster and decide how to proceed at each position moving forward.
With that in mind, we examine where the Dolphins stand at each position heading into free agency, with contract status of each player, a quick review of the 2023 performance and an analysis of what to expect in the offseason.
We continue with the wide receivers.
MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS IN 2023
On the roster: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, Robbie Chosen, Chase Claypool, Erik Ezukanma (ended season on NFI)
2023 season: This pretty much was the Hill and Waddle show, with the former on track to become the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history until injuries slowed him in the final weeks. The Dolphins didn't get a ton out of any of the other wide receivers, though Wilson had a nice bounce-back season after being pretty much an afterthought in 2022.
Stats that stand out: Hill became the first player in NFL history to produce a second consecutive season with at least 1,700 receiving yards. ... While Hill ranked in the top three in the NFL in catches, targets and receiving yards, he was only 69th in catch percentage (69.6). ... Despite battling injuries most of the season and missing three games, Waddle became the first receiver in team history with a third consecutive 1,000-yard season. ... Hill and Waddle accounted for 59.9 percent of the Dolphins' passing yards.
THE OFFSEASON AT WIDE RECEIVER
Contract status: Hill is under contract through 2026. Waddle is signed through the 2024 season, though the Dolphins likely will pick up his fifth-year option this spring. Ezukanma is signed through 2025. All the other wide receivers on the roster — Wilson, Claypool, Chosen, Cracraft and Berrios — are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents March 13.
Notable pending free agents around the NFL: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay; Curtis Samuel, Washington; Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati; Tee Higgins, Cincinnati; Michael Thomas, New Orleans; Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville; Devin Duvernay, Baltimore
Offseason outlook: While Hill has been and should remain the focal point of the passing game, the Dolphins probably would be better served if they could find a more consistent third option at wide receiver. With five pending free agents, the wide receiver group figures to look very different at the start of training camp because it's highly unlikely every one of those players will be re-signed. It's also unlikely that all of them will be gone, so it becomes a question of who will be prioritized, and from this vantage point, we're thinking that Cracraft and Berrios might be at the top of the list. The Dolphins will need to sign other receivers to fill out the roster, but they won't have that much money to spread around considering all their pending UFAs at other positions, so they could be shopping for bargains on the free agent market and also might use the draft to replenish. It also would greatly help if Ezukanma can pick up where he left off last season.
