What the Dolphins are getting with Braxton Berrios as a receiver and returner
Chatter on new Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios, in our final piece with metrics and tidbits on each of the Dolphins’ significant free agent additions:
▪ Based on his early work in camp, Berrios seems the front-runner for the No. 3 receiver job. Cedrick Wilson Jr. has had his moments; Robbie Chosen has had a generally quiet camp after standing out in May and June practices.
Berrios — who has the longest passing scoring play of training camp (a 70-yarder from Skylar Thompson) — was a sensible addition because:
1). He can get open out of the slot and ranked among the league’s best receivers in yards after catch when he was utilized quite a bit offensively for the Jets in 2020 and 2021.
2) He should be Miami’s best punt and kickoff returner since Jakeem Grant and turns a roster deficiency into a strength.
On the YAC issue, this is notable: In 2020, when he caught 37 passes for 394 yards, he averaged 6.0 yards after the catch, per reception, which was 10th among all NFL players with at least 30 catches — higher than Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill, among many others, per Pro Football Focus.
And in 2021, when he caught 46 passes for 431 yards, he was 13th in average YAC per reception at 5.6, which was 13th in the league among players with at least 30 receptions, ahead of Ceedee Lamb, Jaylen Waddle and Allen Lazard, among many others.
Berrios’ offensive snaps dropped from 390 in 2021 to 297 last season; he and the Jets other receivers were hurt by inconsistent quarterback play. Berrios should benefit by playing with Tua Tagovailoa, whose accuracy is a strength.
And Berrios should be able to carve out some room in the middle of the field, with Hill and Jaylen Waddle commanding multiple defenders on the boundary. Berrios uses his speed, shiftiness and instincts to carve out open space.
▪ Some other Berrios receiver notes: Of his 107 career catches, 51 have gone for first downs….
Don’t underestimate his speed. He reached 20.9 mph on a 103-yard kickoff return in 2021 and also was timed as high as 21.03.
As perspective, Hill reached speeds of 21.9 and 21.7 on two of his fastest touches last season, per NextGen Stats…
During the past three seasons, Berrios played 70.8, 74.2 and 67 percent of his offensive snaps in the slot…
He has seven drops in 165 career targets, with 107 catches.
▪ And there’s this nugget from Dolphins.com’s Travis Wingfield: Berrios has been targeted 13 times in his career on third- or fourth-and-short and has converted eight of them. As Wingfield notes, that’s 62 percent compared to the overall Jets average of 48.3 percent during that period.
▪ Berrios’ Dolphins deal is for one year at $3.5 million, of which $3 million is guaranteed.
He got a $1.5 million signing bonus and his $1.5 million base salary is guaranteed. He gets $29,412 for every game he’s active, maxing out at $500,000.
▪ Here’s how Jets coach Robert Saleh sized up Berrios as a receiver: “He’s out there on Wednesday, which is a heavy install day, and helping the other receivers get lined up. He’s helping the quarterback out of the huddle; he’s helping everybody.
“You know that veteran presence who’s reliable, who can get separation, wins 1-on-1s, and those guys, they just naturally draw to the quarterback in terms of, “I know you’re going to be exactly where you need to be.’”
▪ As the Dolphins’ Brett Brecheisen noted, Berrios is one of just 12 active NFL players who have scored touchdowns by rush, reception and kickoff return.
As a runner (on reverses and other gadget plays), he has rushed 19 times for 160 yards, an impressive 8.4 average, with four touchdowns. So that’s another way he’s dangerous.
▪ For perspective on what Berrios will bring as a returner, consider this: He has averaged 11.4 yards on 67 punt returns in his career, and 11.4 was his exact average last season.
During this century, only three Dolphins topped that 11.4 return average in a single season (minimum 20 returns): Jeff Ogden at 11.8 in 2001, Davone Bess at 11.9 in 2011 and Marcus Thipgen at 12.2 in 2012.
Grant’s 10.3 career average on punt returns is a yard below Berrios’. As perspective, Wilson Jr. averaged 7.5 yards on 13 punt returns when needed in that role in the second half of last season.
As a kickoff returner, Berrios led the league with a 30.4 average in 2021, and his 24.9 average on 67 career returns tops Raheem Mostert’s 20.1 average in 25 kickoff returns last season.
Grant, as a comparison, has averaged 24.5 yards on 110 career kickoff returns, on par with Berrios’ 24.9 career mark.
▪ Returning to the city where he played college football was appealing to Berrios. He has a friendship with former UM player Jaelan Phillips.
“That’s one of the best parts about going to Miami,” Berrios said. “It’s a brotherhood. So obviously after every game, we go up to each other and talk. I saw him in the airport actually about a year ago and talked for a while and then now since this happened, we’ve been communicating more closely. He’s such a competitor that I’m excited to share a field with.”
Here’s what the Dolphins are getting with cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Here’s what the Dolphins are getting with linebacker David Long.
This story was originally published August 2, 2023 at 1:45 PM.
