Miami, FL
Dolphins Position Outlook: Wide Receivers
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.
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.
Miami, FL
Patients left scrambling for care after Miami-Dade woman accused of operating an unlicensed surgery recovery center
A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after authorities say she operated an unlicensed plastic surgery recovery center out of an Airbnb in southwest Miami-Dade County, leaving several patients scrambling for care after her arrest.
Kerri Smith faces charges of operating an assisted living facility without a license and an organized scheme to defraud. Investigators say she collected more than $200,000 from clients seeking post-surgical care. Her arrest disrupted the recoveries of at least six women who were staying at the home after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
“I’m really disappointed. Extremely disappointed,” said Janell Dunn, one of the patients who traveled from Orlando for surgery and aftercare.
Dunn said that during her five-day stay, she saw about 12 women cycle through the property. She described chaos unfolding when deputies arrived to arrest a caretaker. “We were all looking at each other like, ‘What are we going to do now?’” Dunn said.
Authorities allege the operation was unsafe and poorly managed. In court, a prosecutor cited complaints of overcrowding, bug infestations, rodents, and improper handling of medical waste.
Despite those allegations, Smith told a judge she had been working to bring the business into compliance, stating, “I got educated. Hired a consultant.”
Patients, however, say they were left with little warning to find new accommodations after paying thousands of dollars for post-operative care. Dunn said she struggled physically in the aftermath, forced to move and lift items despite being in the early stages of recovery.
“I’ve been pushing, pulling, tugging, doing things I shouldn’t be doing at this point,” she said.
Some women booked hotel rooms after being forced out. Tonita Caban, a woman with experience caring for post-surgery patients, took in Dunn. Caban said she couldn’t turn Dunn away after hearing her story through a social media group for post-op patients. She calls Dunn an “angel”.
“And you’re here with me, and you’ll always be my little sister,” Caban told her. “Someone you can count on.” Caban said she is not charging Dunn for her stay, acknowledging the money she already lost to Smith’s now-shuttered operation.
Smith remained in custody at TGK on Wednesday evening.
In a city where menus can read like novellas and cocktails arrive with enough smoke, sparks and theatrics to qualify as performance art, a new Brickell restaurant is taking the opposite approach and betting that fewer choices might actually make dinner better.
At Allegro Ma Non Troppo, a new 38-seat Italian restaurant that recently opened at 1000 South Miami Avenue, you’ll find exactly 10 food items on the menu. Not 10 sections. Not 10 pages. Just 10 dishes, period.
The concept comes from a group of longtime restaurant industry colleagues who wanted to create something that feels more like an Italian grandmother’s dining room than a typical Miami restaurant. There are no reservations, no phone number and no sprawling menu. Instead, guests simply show up, grab a table and eat what the kitchen does best.
The menu follows a simple formula: four appetizers, three mains, two sides and one dessert. Among the highlights are a Caesar salad made using Caesar Cardini’s original 1924 dressing recipe from Tijuana, a Wagyu bolognese “lazy lasagna” layered with Italian sausage and slow-cooked ragù, a free-range chicken cotoletta alla Milanese and a whole branzino prepared with little more than olive oil, lemon and rosemary. And then, of course, there’s the shareable dessert course. Every main course is cooked in the restaurant’s single oven and there are no fryers anywhere in sight.
What makes Allegro Ma Non Troppo particularly personal is the story behind it. The restaurant serves as a tribute to co-owner Carlos Galan’s mother, who died earlier this year at age 102. Many of her belongings now decorate the space, helping the restaurant feel more like a family home than a polished dining concept.
“The goal was never to create a perfect luxury restaurant,” Galan said. “It was to create a place where people feel genuinely welcomed, nourished, and emotionally connected the moment they walk through the door.”
Co-owner Vanessa Velez says the team hopes diners remember more than just what was on their plates. “We always want to touch the customer emotionally, because when you touch someone’s emotions, you leave a mark,” she said. “Our goal is to leave a lasting imprint on our guests’ hearts.”
Whether the 10-item menu becomes Miami’s next dining obsession remains to be seen. But in a neighborhood packed with restaurants competing to do more, Allegro Ma Non Troppo is making a compelling case for doing less.
Miami, FL
Miami biotech executive was followed into his condo by man who allegedly threw him from 25th floor
A Miami biotech executive was followed into the skyscraper where he lived by the man, accused of pushing him off the building’s 25th floor, newly-released surveillance video shows.
Justin Zelin, 35, was seen walking into Miami Beach’s 47-story Akoya Condominium with a bearded man Corey Hutterli, 37, following behind on Feb. 12 — three days before his death, NBC6 reported.
Zelin, who was wearing a casual outfit, threw away some trash in a garbage can before walking up to the entry door in the high-rise condominium’s parking lot, unaware he would fall to his death.
Hutterli, who was wearing a bucket hat, was following closely behind, carrying bottles of alcohol.
Just three days later, Harvard graduate Zelin called 911 to report a disturbance. During the call, he ordered Hutterli to leave the apartment, WPLG reported.
Zelin, who had worked as a biotechnology equity research analyst at BTIG since January 2021, reportedly shouted, “Get away from me Sasha,” using a nickname Hutterli was known by.
There was a bust-up and cops said, “During said physical altercation defendant Hutterli caused victim Zelin to perish due to blunt force trauma.”
Zelin’s body hit a path on the ground floor, according to surveillance video recorded eight minutes after the 911 call.
Hutterli’s defense team claimed Zelin “went over the balcony” after an alleged mental episode.
They claimed Zelin, who was identified as JZ in court documents, screamed at Hutterli in “what can only be described as a complete break with reality.”
“JZ can be heard ranting, claiming that he was killed by a homeless person, and insisting that he is dead.
“During this mental break, JZ ran in and out of the apartment, and then he went over the balcony of his 25th-floor condo and fell to his death.”
But the state of Hutterli’s body suggested something more sinister had happened. He had scratches on his cheek, and a cut on his thumb.
He was also in what “appears to be an excited state, according to police.
“What’s going on?” a shoeless Hutterli asked one officer.
“Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me.”
The cop asked Hutterli if he was alone, to which he replied, “No I don’t know where he is.
“I kept telling him to relax.”
Hutterli then blurted out, “What is the situation? Did he jump?”
Cops then searched the apartment – which had items strewn inside – and they found Hutterli’s bucket hat.
There were blood spatters on the rails, and clumps of Hutterli’s beard hair were also found.
Blood was also found on Hutterli’s shirt – and they found ketamine in his bag.
Hutterli was arrested on April 8 and faces a second-degree murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Cops were able to make an arrest after Zelin’s DNA was discovered on Hutterli’s jacket.
He also faces burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia charges.
Tributes, meanwhile, were paid to Zelin following his death.
“Justin was one of the best biotech analysts I have ever worked with,” friend Amit Jolly wrote on Linkedin.
“His work was rigorous, thoughtful, and deeply coordinated.
“He had a rare ability to see around corners and articulate complex ideas with clarity and conviction.
“Our field has lost an extraordinary mind, and many of us have lost a trusted voice and friend.”
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