Hours after offensive lineman Dan Feeney left the Jets to join the Dolphins, Miami will add another recent Jet to its equation. Braxton Berrios is signing with the Fins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
A slot receiver and All-Pro return man in New York, Berrios played his college ball in Miami. The Hurricanes alum will join a Dolphins team rostering Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson at receiver. Berrios’ latest AFC East contract is a one-year agreement.
The Dolphins have now added Berrios and claimed Freddie Swain off waivers from the Broncos this week. Complementary target Trent Sherfield is a free agent. Berrios will now step in as a tertiary option in this star-studded receiving corps. The 5-foot-9 pass catcher/returner has now joined his third AFC East team. The Patriots drafted Berrios in the 2018 sixth round, but he never played in a game with the team.
Released ahead of the Jets’ Allen Lazard signing, Berrios had re-signed with the team on a two-year deal worth $12MM. He commanded that kind of cash after earning first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner in 2021 while also aiding Gang Green in the slot. Berrios established new career-high marks in receptions (46) and receiving yards (431) for the 2021 Jets, adding a 102-yard kick-return TD that helped the team to a win over the Jaguars.
Berrios, 27, did not fare as well last season. Although he played all 17 Jets games, he only totaled 18 catches for 145 yards. The Jets featured a dismal passing attack for much of last season, leading to this all-fronts Aaron Rodgers pursuit, but Berrios did not make the kind of impact the team sought when it re-signed him. He will attempt to do so in Miami.
Wilson served as the Dolphins’ primary punt returner last season, while the team sent out Raheem Mostert as its primary kick returner — despite his extensive running back duties. Berrios has returned kicks and punts extensively as a pro, and his two seasons in Mike LaFleur‘s Jets offense would make for a natural fit into Mike McDaniel‘s scheme. The two were each Kyle Shanahan lieutenants for years.
Look for Berrios to be strictly a kick returner/wildcat specialist in Miami. The Jets used him as a 4th/5th WR because they seldom go wildcat.
Good pickup
Cedrick Wilson made almost half a million dollars per reception last year. This year he might soar past it.