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.
It’s easy to fall in love with college quarterbacks with just a handful of strong starts under their belt, but more often than not that leads to incomplete evaluations and regret. That’s why Ty Simpson, who at one point looked like the best quarterback in college football last year, is tough to justify a first-round pick on. If experience is something the Pittsburgh Steelers place a high value on, Miami’s Carson Beck checks a lot of boxes.
“The Steelers have little intention of taking a quarterback with their No. 1 pick because they don’t believe there is a first-round quarterback after [Fernando] Mendoza,” Gerry Dulac wrote via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But one of the reasons they like Miami’s Carson Beck is he has started 43 games, counting his time when he won a national title at Georgia.”
None of those 43 starts came during the Bulldogs’ two National Championship runs, but he still managed to lead the SEC in completions and yards during his first season as a starter in 2023. And he finished with an impressive 37-6 record as a starting quarterback.
Bill Parcells famously laid out a list of rules aimed at maximizing the chances of hitting on a quarterback in the draft. Among some of the statistical goals, 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins were two of his requirements. Beck, who the Steelers had in for a pre-draft visit, easily checks those two off the list.
Parcells’ rules aren’t bulletproof. Three of the best quarterbacks in the league at the moment wouldn’t have made the cut if it were up to him. Patrick Mahomes had 29 starts, Joe Burrow 28, and Josh Allen 25. But for every one of them, there are two or three Anthony Richardsons, Zach Wilsons, J.J. McCarthys and Trey Lances as a counterpoint.
Experience isn’t the end-all, but it cuts out a lot of the guesswork. And leaving anything up to chance and gambling with a first-round pick is not a winning strategy. Some teams will hit the jackpot, but most will find themselves set back a few years and looking for a quarterback once again.
Beck is one of the only options in this class that meet all of Parcells’ criteria.
– Senior and three-year starter? Yep.
– College graduate? Yes.
– 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins? Easily.
– 60 percent completion rate and 2:1 TD-INT ratio? Check (69.5%, 88:32).
If you subscribe to the Parcells method, Beck covers all the bases. Keep in mind that Mike McCarthy is one of the oldest head coaches in the league. He was very much around when this rule was popularized. Amazingly, this is his first time with a chance to draft a quarterback for a team in need. Should it really be a surprise if he leans on a framework he came up around?
Beyond the experience and stats, Beck offers some of what the Steelers look for at the position. Omar Khan has repeatedly stated the need to find an “AFC North QB.” At 6046, 233 pounds, with 10-inch hands, he resembles what the Steelers are looking for.
Don’t get me wrong, Beck has plenty of flaws. That’s why he’s unlikely to go in the first few rounds of the draft. But the Steelers could do worse than following their process to land a Day 3 developmental quarterback. That’s one of the main reasons McCarthy was hired as the head coach.
Instead of putting every egg in the Will Howard basket, why not add another young, high-pedigree quarterback to the mix? Carson Beck may just be that guy come the end of April.
MIAMI – Fans, celebrities and media flocked to Nu Stadium on Saturday to experience opening night at Inter Miami CF’s brand new, soccer-specific venue.
The Herons were up for the occasion, throwing an epic housewarming party capped by a 2-2 comeback draw against Austin FC.
Club legends Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez provided the goals that paced Miami to a dramatic start to life in their new home.
“Today, it’s clear that for the last 20 to 25 minutes, we took a lot of risks,” head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters post-match.
“But we’re at home. We’re MLS [Cup] champions, and we have to show it.”
Electric atmosphere
The Herons went all out to make Nu Stadium’s opening match one to remember, christening their state-of-the-art Downtown Miami digs with fireworks and rousing pre-game speeches from co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham.
Famed Miami resident and four-time Grammy Award winner Marc Anthony then belted out a stirring rendition of the national anthem, setting the stage for 90-plus minutes of non-stop chanting, cheering, and drumming from the sellout crowd of 26,700.
“It was beautiful. A sold-out crowd of people who made the effort to come and see us. And honestly, they cheered us from beginning to end,” said defender Maxi Falcón.
“For them to welcome us like that, with today’s spectacle, it was beautiful for us.”
That electric atmosphere helped the Herons recover quickly from Guilherme Biro’s sixth-minute opener for Austin, with Messi responding four minutes later to score Miami’s first-ever goal at their new home with a precise header.
A similar scenario played out in the second half, with fans spurring the Herons on as Suárez came off the bench to cancel out Jayden Nelson’s go-ahead strike by rifling home from close range in the 82nd minute.
Nu Stadium briefly erupted in pandemonium after Suárez appeared to score a last-gasp winner, only for the goal to be called off.
“On the field, you could definitely feel the atmosphere – especially when you score a goal to tie it up late,” said goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
“We pushed for the winner as well, and we felt that the crowd was really with us and pushing and kind of suffocating them.”
World-class venue
While Saturday’s draw wasn’t the result they wanted, Inter Miami can take pride in boasting one of the best sporting venues in the world, according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
“They’ve done the unthinkable. The stadium is spectacular, it’s breathtaking,” Garber said. “Jose and Jorge [Mas] spoke to me this morning and they said, ‘I wish I could be with you when you walk in because it will take your breath away.’ And it did. It’s absolutely spectacular.”
“It feels to me like a building that can rival any sports facility anywhere in the world. Not just soccer stadiums, but any sports building. I’m very proud of them.”
For Mas, the venue that anchors the broader Miami Freedom Park project could launch the club to transformative heights.
“Today we’re home,” Mas told the crowd during his pre-game speech. “I think this is a personification of what’s possible. I think it’s an amazing stadium, an amazing environment.
“And, listen, our goal is to lift trophies and win championships, and I think this will be a proper home to do that with and for our fans.”
Made in Miami
Saturday’s match carried extra meaning for Miami beyond the outcome.
After six years playing 30 miles to the north in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons are now officially setting roots in Miami proper.
“[For the] fans to be able to have a permanent home where they know they’ll be here,” said St. Clair. “So I think for us, you just want to be able to reward the fans and give them wins and show them the effort. And be willing to do everything for the badge and for the club.”
Beckham, who helped plant the seeds of Inter Miami over a decade ago, was especially proud.
“To see this stadium come to life after years and years of trying to get this stadium up and running in Miami is something very special,” said the England and LA Galaxy legend. “I came to America and the MLS 20 years ago and I made a lot of promises. And 13 years ago, I made a lot of promises again, announcing that I was coming to Miami.
“And today is just a dream come true for us.”
In with the Nu
With Nu Stadium’s first match in the books, Inter Miami are looking to build on the legacy they’ve already created with MLS Cup 2025, 2024 Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup 2023 titles.
“I think the favorite part is still to come,” said Mas. “Everything to now has been frankly extremely stressful, the last few months. But I think the culmination of lifting an MLS Cup, us together here in December, would be a great shining cap off to an amazing year.”
Miami’s players, meanwhile, are more focused on the short-term.
“We’re a little bitter about not taking all three points because we know we’re a strong team,” said Falcón.
“…. We showed it last year, especially towards the end of the season. We have to get back to that, get our heads together and prepare well for our next game.”
Miami, FL
Driver detained after striking deputy’s cruiser during fatal crash investigation in NW Miami-Dade
A driver was detained in Northwest Miami-Dade on Saturday after being accused of striking a deputy’s vehicle during a fatal crash investigation, authorities said
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, at around 11:55 p.m. on Friday, a vehicle crashed into a tree on Northwest 135th Street and 57th Avenue, where it caught on fire.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at the scene, extinguished the flames, and the driver was pronounced dead.
Their identity was not released.
During the investigation, deputies blocked the intersection when a vehicle went through the intersection and struck a cruiser.
MDSO said the cruiser sustained damage, and the deputy had minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
The driver was then detained.
No arrests have been made as the investigation remains active.
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