53-man roster predictions: How many wide receivers will the Miami Dolphins keep?

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have produced at least 2,800 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in two straight seasons but the Miami Dolphins enter 2024 with the deepest wide receiving unit of the Mike McDaniel era.

Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Dolphins after 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games last season. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver is projected to play a big role in Miami’s passing attack considering no wide receiver No. 3 has surpassed 30 receptions in McDaniel’s offense.

The Dolphins began 2022 with five wide receivers on the roster and six last season, meaning that only two or three spots are left behind the team’s presumed big three. Wide receivers River Cracraft and Braxton Berrios re-signed with the team in free agency. Braylon Sanders and Anthony Schwartz signed future/reserve contracts in January.

Cracraft, 30, followed McDaniel to South Florida from the San Francisco 49ers, and he caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in his second season with Miami. He’s appeared in at least 10 games in the last two seasons and signed a one-year, $1.13 million contract for 2024.

Berrios, a 2018 sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots, caught 27 of 33 targets for 238 yards while returning 41 total kicks for the Dolphins. The 28-year-old receiver is the favorite to return kicks in 2024, but the Dolphins could make a change with new kickoff rules looming. Miami saves $932,353 while eating $1.2 million in dead money if Berrios is released.

Sanders, who appeared in three games as an undrafted rookie in 2022, and Schwartz, a 2021 third-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns, face the toughest paths to a roster spot when factoring in the pair of players named Washington that Miami drafted in April. Both Malik Washington and Tahj Washington were Day 3 selections but have the traits to develop and thrive in McDaniel’s system.

Malik Washington, Miami’s sixth-round selection out of Virginia, led college football with 110 receptions last year. He played four seasons at Northwestern with 120 total catches before stealing the spotlight with 1,426 receiving yards as a graduate student. At 5’ 8½, Malik Washington is the shortest player on Miami’s 90-man roster.

Tahj Washington, listed at 174 pounds, is the lightest player on the Dolphins but deserves to be mentioned after averaging 18 yards per reception while catching passes from Caleb Williams. Can Miami afford to risk a big-play slot receiver with special teams experience on the practice squad?

The Dolphins signed undrafted rookie and Florida native Je’Quan Burton in April. He caught 24 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns at Florida Atlantic University in 2023.

Last but most certainly not least, Erik Ezukanma is expected to be a full participant in training camp after being cleared from a lingering neck injury. The former fourth-round pick has only appeared in three regular-season games but listed at 6’2, he is at least three inches taller than Hill, Waddle, and Beckham, and his 206-pound frame is the largest among Dolphins receivers

Ezukanma, 24, has just one regular-season catch in his career but also emerged as a rushing threat with five carries for 22 yards across two games last season. He drew preseason hype with eight receptions and two rushing attempts for 52 yards.

Health remains the biggest concern for Ezukanma, but he features the skillset and traits to stand out as a versatile threat in McDaniel’s dynamic offense.

Let us know what you think — who’s most likely to secure a roster spot behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr. on the 53-man roster!