Dolphins 2025 Wide Receiver Report Card: Did Anyone Stand Out?

The Miami Dolphins’ season did not go as planned, largely because their roster didn’t meet expectations.

Now that the team is turning the page with GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley, we’re taking one last look back at the 2025 roster and mostly grading players who played meaningful snaps.

We’re going position by position to grade every player based on the film study we did during the season and their expectations. We’ve already done the quarterbacks and running backs, so it’s time to do the wide receivers.

Tyreek Hill

Hill’s season obviously was cut short by a devastating knee injury that he suffered in Week 4 against the New York Jets. That makes it a bit hard to give him a grade, but he caught 21 of his 29 targets for 265 yards before the injury.

He wasn’t quite his usual explosive self, but it was clear that the entire Dolphins’ passing game wasn’t quite on the same page. The Dolphins really missed Hill on third downs, where his chemistry with Tua Tagovailoa really shined.

The Dolphins will cut Hill this offseason to free up cap space, meaning his Dolphins career will end after his injury. It’s a tough way for such a productive tenure to go out, but the NFL is a tough business.

Grade: B

Jaylen Waddle

Waddle stepped up when Hill got hurt and became the focal point of the Dolphins’ passing offense. Poor quarterback play held him back quite a bit, but Waddle still finished with 64 catches for 910 yards and six touchdowns.

If you watch the tape, it’s pretty easy to see that Waddle spent a ton of time getting open but dealt with poor throws. He was targeted 100 times this past season, so only netting 64 catches isn’t great.

The other problem area is his yards after catch. He had just 228 yards after the catch in 2025, which is just way too low for a player with his speed. Miami’s timing and spacing problems in the passing game limited how many catches he made in stride.

Waddle did improve his work in contested situations and stayed healthy for pretty much the entire season. He’s clearly still a good player, and the film is much better than the numbers, so we’re giving him a good grade.

Grade: A-

Malik Washington

Washington somewhat falls into a similar category as Waddle. The former isn’t as good, but he also dealt with some tough circumstances.

The Virginia product improved on his rookie season numbers, hauling in 46 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t the breakout some were hoping for. The issue was that Washington wasn’t given much of a chance to make plays downfield.

Of his 317 yards, 260 came after the catch, and on tape, it’s pretty easy to see that’s because a lot of his targets come behind or at the line of scrimmage. The coaching staff didn’t trust him to run a ton of routes.

Is that because Washington can’t do it? Well, his rookie season and preseason tape showed a player who was at least capable, so that’s hard for us to wrap our head around.

Thankfully, Washington proved to be a valuable returner this past season. He ran back a punt for a touchdown and had about 1,225 return yards between punts and kicks.

Grade: C

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Some people (this writer included) were very high on Westbrook-Ikhine coming into the season. The Dolphins were missing a player who could stretch the field vertically, block from the slot, and make plays in the red zone.

Those were all three of Westbrook-Ikhine’s best traits, so the fit should have been perfect. However, that did not work out at all. NWI finished the season with 11 catches for 89 yards and zero touchdowns.

His blocking was passable, but it wasn’t good enough to justify his struggles in the passing game. He just wasn’t a good fit for Miami’s quick-hitting offense that asked him to run short timing routes.

We’ll see if the Dolphins’ new staff brings him back, but there’s no doubt that 2025 was a failure.

Grade: F

Cedrick Wilson Jr.

Wilson was signed to the practice squad after Hill was injured in part because NWI was struggling to make an impact in the running game. The veteran came in and stabilized the big-slot role a decent amount down the stretch.

He had just five catches for 44 yards, but he was technically an upgrade just because he wasn’t making as many negative plays as NWI.

Wilson probably won’t be back in 2026, but his second stint with the Dolphins was probably more impactful than people think.

Grade: C+

Theo Wease Jr.

Wease didn’t get promoted to the active roster until the final three weeks of the season, but he made a nice little impact when he got his chance.

His first game featured a bad penalty and rough route that led to an INT, but he ended up catching six of his 10 targets for 139 yards and his first career touchdown. Wease clearly has the big-body, contested-catch skills to make an impact at the NFL level.

He’s just not great at creating separation or running a full route tree. He’s probably worth keeping around to develop, which feels like the type of thing that should earn a positive grade for a UDFA.

Grade: B-

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