Dolphins notes on Hill, Waddle, free agent receivers and tight ends and Warren discussion
A six-pack of wide receiver and tight end flavored Dolphins notes:
▪ Even if the Dolphins keep Tyreek Hill (who now says he wants to stay) and Jaylen Waddle (under contract with a reasonable cap hit next season), they’ll still need a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver to complement those two and emerging Malik Washington.
That player could be added in the draft, but the Dolphins must add at least one in free agency, preferably one with size and physicality.
The good news is there are more than 20 pretty good No. 2 or No. 3 receivers, and several likely will fall through the cracks and become affordable as third or fourth receivers.
This year’s group of potential No. 2 or No. 3 receivers set for free agency include Tennessee’s 6-3 Nick Westbrook (32 for 497 yards and 9 TDs in 17 games and 9 starts); Dallas’ 5-10 Brandin Cooks (26-259 last season), Kansas City’s 6-1 DeAndre Hopkins (41 for 437 in 10 games and 5 starts for the Chiefs after his acquisition from Tennessee), New Orleans’ 6-4 Marquez Valdes Scantling (17 for 385 in 8 games for the Saints).
The free agent class also includes Pittsburgh’s 6-4 Mike Williams (9 for 132 in 9 games and 2 starts for Pittsburgh after his trade from the Jets), the Rams’ 6-1 DeMarcus Robinson (31 for 505), Tennessee’s 6-3 Tyler Boyd (39 for 390), Houston’s 6-0 Robert Woods (20 for 203 in 15 games), the Giants’ 6-1 Darius Slayton (39-573), 6-0 KJ Osborn (the former Hurricane who was limited to eight games last season) and Baltimore’s 6-0 Nelson Agholor (14 for 231 in 14 games and 7 starts).
And there’s more: The Chargers’ 6-3 DJ Chark (production has dropped dramatically since 73 catch season for the Jaguars in 2019), Buffalo’s 6-4 Mack Hollins (31 for 378 this season for the former Dolphin), Arizona’s 6-2 Zay Jones (caught 82 for 823 two years ago, but a big drop since), Cleveland’s 5-10 Elijah Moore (51 for 538), Arizona’s 5-7 Rondale Moore (40 for 352), Kansas City’s 6-2 Justin Watson (22 for 389 in 17 games and 7 starts)...
Pittsburgh’s 6-1 Van Jefferson (24 for 276), Washington’s 5-8 Olamide Zaccheaus (45 for 506), the Chargers’ 6-1 Josh Palmer (39 for 584), Washington’s 6-0 Dyami Brown (30 for 308), Washington’s 6-2 Noah Brown (35 for 453), Kansas City’s 6-1 Ju-Ju Smith Schuster (18 for 231), the Rams’ 6-1 Tyler Johnson (26 for 291), Carolina’s 6-1 David Moore (32 for 351) and Arizona’s 5-7 Greg Dortch (37 for 342).
The top free agent receivers - likely out of Miami’s price range even if Miami traded Hill - include Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper and Chris Godwin.
As for Hill, who was seen wearing a cast over his left wrist on a social media video, agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to disclose on his weekly WSVN-7 segment if Hill has surgery, and the Dolphins do not confirm offseason surgical procedures. But Rosenhaus said: “I don’t see any reason why Tyreek won’t be ready for training camp.”
▪ Some of the factors contributing to the enormous drop in 2024 production for Hill and Waddle -- Hill was 30th in the NFL in receiving yards, Waddle 43rd - were beyond their control.
But others were not.
Among all NFL receivers, consider that Waddle ranked 93rd in average yards after catch (4.1) and Hill was 114th at 3.5. As perspective, Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir averaged 8.0 yards after catch and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase averaged 6.3 and the Dolphins’ Malik Washington was at 4.7.
Bottom line: Hill and Waddle need to break more tackles.
▪ Waddle had six drops (17th most among receivers) and Hill had three drops (51st). Each of them had three targets intercepted.
The Dolphins’ passer rating in their coverage areas weren’t nearly as good as you would expect – 97.1 for Hill and 90.6 for Waddle. Quarterback play, especially when Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined, certainly played a big part in that.
Quarterbacks had an 88.1 rating when targeting Washington.
▪ The Dolphins - who recently released Durham Smythe - need to find a better in-line blocker than Julian Hill, who ranked 75th and last among all tight ends and sixth-worst as a run blocker, per Pro Football Focus.
I found it notable that impending Rams free agent Hunter Long, traded by the Dolphins to the Rams in the Jalen Ramsey deal, was rated by PFF as the fifth-best run blocking tight end in football in 2024.
Among impending free agent tight ends beyond Long, here’s who PFF identified as top 25 run-blockers, with all blocking on at least 175 rushing attempts: Indianapolis’ Kylen Granson (9th), New England’s Austin Hooper (10th), 49ers tight end and former Dolphin Eric Saubert (20th)
▪ PFF rated Jonnu Smith, who’s under contract to Miami next season, as the fifth best among 75 tight ends overall this past season.
Smith, one of the NFL’s best tight ends in yards after catch over the past five years, finished third in YAC yards in 2024 with 521 (behind Raiders rookie star Brock Bowers’ 596 and Arizona’s Trey McBride’s 526). Smith finished eighth in YAC average (5.9) among high-volume receiving tight ends.
Dolphins quarterbacks had a 121.2 passer rating when targeting Smith, who had career highs and Dolphins single season highs in receptions (88), yards receiving (884) and touchdowns (eight).
▪ While it’s difficult to make the case for the Dolphins to pick a tight end at No. 13 in the first round, with all the needs elsewhere, it’s at least a discussion worth having because some evaluators believe Penn State’s Tyler Warren is a more well-rounded player than Bowers, who was AFC Rookie of the Year.
A two-tight combo with Warren (a skilled blocker and receiver) and Smith would mean the Dolphins would play the majority of the time in 12 personnel (one running back, two receivers, two tight ends) and could have the most lethal tight-end tandem in football. It would also feed into the Dolphins’ preference for a quick passing game.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. slots Warren to the Colts at 14, adding: “Warren catches everything, hauling in 104 of his 135 targets this season for 1,233 yards and eight scores. Penn State used him all over the place -- slot, out wide, in-line, in the backfield -- and he produced no matter the alignment.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 11:46 AM.
