Grading the Dolphins wide receivers after their 2022 season
The Miami Dolphins have finished their 2022 season after making the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Most of the impressive play that led to the broken streak came from the offensive side of the ball, including some amazing seasons from the wide receivers that Miami has invested so heavily into over the last couple of seasons.
With the season behind us, we’ll be going through different positions and reviewing their performances over the past year. After starting with the quarterbacks and running backs, we’ll take a look at the wideouts that were on the receiving end of passes from Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson.
Tyreek Hill: A
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Everything changed when Hill was traded to Miami this offseason. He instilled a hard-work mindset in the locker room and was as dynamic as ever on the field.
Hill set franchise records in receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,710) while finding the end zone seven times in the receiving game.
Five draft picks and $30 million per year might be a lot to get a player of Hill’s caliber, but it appears worth it right now.
Jaylen Waddle: A-
(Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
If Hill didn’t have such an amazing season, we’d be talking a lot more about Waddle’s.
In his second year, the former Crimson Tide pass-catcher recorded 75 receptions for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. He set out to improve his yards per reception from his rookie year (9.8), and he did so by leading the league in the stat (18.1).
Trent Sherfield: B-
Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Sherfield wasn’t expected to be the team’s third wide receiver, but with strong blocking and a grasp of the system, he took hold of that spot and never really looked back.
2022 brought him career highs in receptions (30), receiving yards (417) and touchdowns (two). On a one-year deal worth just over $1 million, Sherfield was a steal for the Dolphins.
Cedrick Wilson Jr.: D+
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The reason Sherfield wasn’t expected to be the third wideout was that Miami signed Wilson to a three-year contract this offseason. However, Wilson’s role was likely going to be different anyway, as he was signed before they acquired Hill.
In 15 games, Wilson brought in just 12 receptions for 136 yards, but he did find a role as a return man later in the season. His 50-yard punt return in the wild-card matchup against the Buffalo Bills was the longest in Dolphins postseason history.
River Cracraft: D
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
Despite not making the active roster to start the season, Cracraft was elevated each of the first three weeks and scored two touchdowns in that span. Out of elevations for the wideout, Miami signed him to 53-man ahead of Week 4.
Cracraft only finished the year with nine receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He did miss a few games with an illness, but he was mainly a depth piece.
