Tua Tagovailoa’s return may be imminent, but the Miami Dolphins have now lost another notable player for the rest of the season. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Monday that Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios underwent an MRI that revealed a torn ACL. Berrios’ 2024 campaign is thus over and he has been placed on injured reserve by Miami. The 29-year-old Berrios is both a receiver and a return specialist for the Dolphins. He joined the team in 2023 after winning a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots in the 2018 season and then earning first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner for the New York Jets in the 2021 season. Berrios, who has also made headlines for his dating life, had not caught a pass for the Dolphins this season, but had returned seven punts and three kickoffs for a total of 179 all-purpose yards. He was injured on a return in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 16-10 eventual loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The good news, Schefter added, is that Berrios did not suffer any additional ligament or meniscus damage. But the torn left ACL is more than enough to shelve Berrios for the rest of the season and he will be entering free agency this offseason with an eye on returning in the 2025 campaign.
You never want to see any player go down but I honestly don't know why he was returning kicks or on the roster for that matter.
Berrios has done ok as a returner, when he’s not had to fair catch or on the receiving end of a touchback. Spectacular? Maybe not, but then again, I’ve not seen him flub a kick that was catastrophic for us.
It's probably because our offense has been so bad without Tua but the past few games I was sitting there saying to myself how it would be nice to have a chance to run one back. Special teams is much more important when your offense is trash. Hopefully the next man up does well.
