Wide receiver Braxton Berrios was a largely forgotten part of the Miami Dolphins offense in 2023, targeted just 17 times in the last 13 games after seeing the ball 16 times in the first four.
And with the Dolphins still in search of a WR3, there’s a real chance that Berrios’ role will be even more modest in 2024. And yet, his value to the team has never been higher.
Why? The league’s modified kickoff format, which if it were in place last year, would have resulted in Berrios having an estimated two dozen or so additional return opportunities.
Braxton Berrios’ 2024 Role With Miami Dolphins
The modified kickoff format, enacted by NFL owners at last month’s Annual League Meeting, brings strategy back into the game. The league expects 50 to 60% of kickoffs to be returned under the new format, a big jump from the record-low 22% return rate in 2023.
There’s less incentive than ever to kick the ball through the back of the end zone, and teams with elite returners will have a real advantage.
More opportunities mean an increased likelihood Berrios — whose 10.2 yards per kickoff return in 2023 ranked 10th among all NFL players — breaks one.
The Dolphins haven’t returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Jakeem Grant had a house call in 2019.
“I’m very, I’m very excited,” Berrios, who re-upped with the Dolphins this offseason on a one-year, $3.5 million contract, said Tuesday. “I think it’s one of the most exciting plays in the game.”
Early on, expect a bit of a learning curve for the Dolphins and every NFL team as they figure out the logistics.
All the ins and outs of the new format are best left up to the NFL to explain. But the important thing to understand is that other than the kicker, the coverage team will line up on the opposition’s 40, and that kickoffs that come down outside of the landing zone (between the goal line and 20) will incur a stiffer penalty than an old school touchback.
So how will it look?
“My best guess is just that — a guess,” Berrios said. “I think opening kickoff Week 1, there’s going to be a lot of trial and error. I don’t think we’ll see much in preseason. I think everybody’s gonna pop it off, and you know, let your cover guys cover and see who can block on the return team.
“And then I think Week 1, everybody’s going to think that they have the ace up their sleeves, so I really truly don’t know what to expect.
“Obviously, the zone is a lot tighter and, you know, I expect there’s not as [many] drops. You’re gonna get on guys earlier, and the cover team, they’re gonna have to make decisions quicker and with way less of a running head start.
“I think the holes will open up, and they’ll be clearer and quicker. And I think, you know, for the guys that hit them. I think it’ll be a good thing.”
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