Westbrook-Ikhine on McDaniel meeting and what he brings. And Dolphins newcomer notes
The Dolphins have paired several No. 3 receivers with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle over the past three years, and none of them - not Cedrick Wilson Jr., Braxton Berrios or, in particular, Odell Beckham Jr. - measured up to expectations.
The Dolphins hope that changes with new No. 3 receiver Nick Wesbrook-Ikhine, an in-his-prime veteran who finished in the top 10 in the NFL in touchdown receptions with nine while playing for the Tennessee Titans last season.
Westbrook-Ikhine said Monday that he could sense Mike McDaniel’s excitement about the possibilities when the two met recently.
McDaniel “was fired up,” Westbrook-Ikhine said during an introductory Zoom session with reporters on Monday. “The first thing I remember was the energy he had when we shook hands, dapped him up. It’s awesome to feel wanted like that.”
At 6-2, Westbrook gives the Dolphins the type of size they’ve often lacked with receivers who lined up alongside 5-10 Hill and 5-10 Waddle. He also gives Miami an angular red zone threat, something they’ve needed more of at wide receiver over the years after a 2023 trade for the 6-4 Chase Claypool failed to pay dividends.
What the Dolphins are getting, Westbrook-Ikhine said, is a “a big body than can use what God gave me, a guy to take advantage of opportunities… whether they’re mismatches or what not.” The key, he said, is “finding open areas, being physical. I’m excited to see all the different ways [McDaniel] has to game plan and scheme stuff up. I know he has some ideas.”
Westbrook-Ikhine caught a career-high nine touchdowns for Tennessee last season, finishing with 32 receptions for 497 yards, including a 98-yard TD against Minnesota, which was the league’s longest reception of the season.
His nine touchdowns last season tied for ninth most in the league. He has played five seasons, all for the Titans, and has 126 catches for 1,773 yards, a sterling 14.1 average per reception, with 19 touchdowns. He had appeared in 78 games and started 39, including nine starts each of the past two seasons.
Eighty seven of his 126 career receptions have gone for first downs. He was born in Lake Mary and went undrafted out of Indiana, where he had 144 receptions for 2,226 yards and 16 touchdowns in 52 games and 36 starts.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity,” he said. “There are a bunch of weapons, a bunch of speed. I’m excited to find my role. I’ve got a little history with Jonnu Smith; I’ve played with him in Tennessee.”
Besides his big-play ability, size and the threat he presents in the red zone, Westbrook-Ikhine also is a skilled blocker. That’s a talent needed on the offense after River Cracraft left for Seattle.
“It’s a gritty game, and wide receiver blocking, you have to find a way to make it work,” he said. “Blocking at receiver seems like a lost art.“
The Dolphins’ top four receivers likely will be Hill (5-10), Waddle (5-10), Westbrook-Ikhine and Malik Washington (5-8). Dee Eskridge, 5-9, and Erik Ezukanma, 6-2, also remain under contract. So does 2024 seventh-round pick Tajh Washington, who’s 5-10; he spent last season on injured reserve.
With any receiver room, it’s important that “everybody is accepting their role,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “One game, one dude might shine. Another game, another dude might shine.”
This and that
More notes from the Dolphins’ introductory news conferences on Monday:
▪ New safety Ifeatu Melifonwu appears to have a good chance to start. He would have been a starter in Detroit last season if not for an injury that sidelined him for 14 games.
While many players downplay the importance of starting, Melifonwu doesn’t. Starting, he says, is “very important. In four years [in Detroit], I’ve proved what I can do. I’ve never had anything handed to me. I’m going to have to compete and earn a starting spot. As a starter, there are things I can bring to the defense and have an impact.”
Dolphins defensive backs Brian Duker coached Melifonwu in Detroit; he cited his own strengths as his “size and speed and coverage ability and ability to tackle and blitz. I am excited to see how they’ll use me.”
The one negative: He has missed 32 games in four seasons and has had five stints on injured reserve. “Sometimes it’s luck, to be honest,” he said of his history of injuries. “You tackle someone and get rolled up on with your ankle facing up. [But there is] some stuff I can do to prevent injuries going forward.”
▪ The two new inside linebackers – K.J. Britt and Willie Gay Jr. - said they haven’t been told their roles.
Gay has played both inside and outside linebacker for the Chiefs and Saints.
“I love inside; I love outside,” he said. “I look forward to seeing how I’m utilized.”
Britt, who started 11 games for Tampa Bay last season, said he hasn’t been told if he will be a backup linebacker or be given a chance to compete with Tyrel Dodson for the starting job opposite Jordyn Brooks.
He played in a similar system in Tampa and is considered a good run defender.
“I’ve been playing linebacker since I was 5 years old; Alabama was a heavy run oriented high school league that we were in,” Britt said. “Stopping the run is something my head coach instilled in us.”
▪ Larry Borom, who was mostly an offensive tackle for the Bears, said the Dolphins haven’t told him if they plan to experiment with him at guard, where he has some experience. He’s expected primarily to be a backup tackle with Miami but that’s fluid.
“I can do some of everything,” he said, adding that he would be fine playing either position.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM.
