Almost any NFL team can find a spot for a player like Braxton Berrios. And the Super Bowl-minded Miami Dolphins — if they can get the job done at the right time — already have him. But Berrios value as a versatile player makes him one of the Dolphins’ potential trade candidates ahead of the 2024 training camp season.
Berrios is joined on the shortlist by running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and linebacker Duke Riley.
A 5-foot-9, 185-pound five-year veteran, Berrios had a career-high 46 catches for 432 yards with the Jets in 2021. The former sixth-round pick totaled 27 catches for 238 yards and a score in the stacked Dolphins’ lineup last year.
Wilson enters his seventh season while Riley begins season No. 8 in the league.
Dolphins WR Braxton Berrios is a returner, too
With the new kickoff rules, return specialists may have added value. That seems to be a boost for Berrios to stay in Miami as the team’s presumed top player at the position.
However, Berrios isn’t explosive as a returner, and the Dolphins may have that option in speedy rookie Jaylen Wright, a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee. That makes Berrios good trade bait for a team that doesn’t have the luxury of a potentially dynamic player like Wright.
But Berrios likely needs the return spot to make the roster. The Dolphins likely won’t carry a player who is a marginal receiver, on this roster, unless he helps in another spot.
Of course, no NFL team is going to pay a king’s ransom for a player with Berrios’ skillset. But sometimes the minor trades make a difference down the line.
What is the height of Wilson’s roster hurdle?
There’s simply too much talent in the backfield for Wilson to be in the mix. The combination of Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright may not be the best but has the potential to be the NFL’s most explosive.
It’s a great problem to have, and that makes trading Wilson — a proven six-year veteran — more likely. Wilson has scored 18 touchdowns in his NFL career while rushing for over 2,000 yards in mostly part-time duty. His best season came in 2020 with the 49ers, where he racked up 600 yards and seven scores.
Wilson is the clear No. 4 on the Dolphins depth chart heading into training camp. That makes him expendable. But also consider the Dolphins are in it to win it this year.
That means they will aggressively pursue any trades that could make the pieces fall together this year. Miami needs help in the trenches, according to Pro Football Focus. So maybe Wilson could be packaged with another player to shore up that perceived weakness.
LB Duke Riley part of 2024 mix
It’s not like the Dolphins don’t have a place for Riley. The seven-year veteran sits at second on the depth chart at an inside linebacker position. But there are some question marks.
Riley seems to be a guy who performs well in fits and starts. His best asset, and perhaps what gives him trade value, is filling a role as a backup linebacker. On a given Sunday, he can line up and avoid the big mistakes that cost a team victories. But it’s equally likely he won’t make any impressive plays that help a team win.
Riley slots in as a guy who should make the roster if he doesn’t get traded. But if there is a trade partner, riding in on a white horse with a defensive tackle on board, the Dolphins may find that hard to pass up.
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