As Miami Dolphins mandatory minicamp closes, a fresh face turned heads.
Free agent wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and the Dolphins agreed to a two-year, $5.99 million deal in March. After going undrafted in 2020, Westbrook-Ikhine spent his first five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The Indiana alum notched career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns last season with 497 and nine, respectively.
Through his career so far, Westbrook-Ikhine averages 14.1 yards per catch. The sixth-year receiver has reeled in 126 career grabs, 87 for first downs. When targeted across his five seasons as a Titan, the quarterback had a rating of 100.8.
Joining a room with the likes of speedsters Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington, Westbrook-Ikhine has an opportunity to carve out a solid role for himself in the Dolphins’ offense. At 6-foot-2, he could be a viable red zone threat.
Despite managing an undisclosed injury throughout the offseason, Westbrook-Ikhine’s work ethic has impressed his head coach.
“I’ve seen a guy that has already found a really cool role within the team in that this is a dawg competitor that brings it each and every day. You’ve also seen him express some mental fortitude as he’s working with a new team and also managing some stuff that he wasn’t on the field every day, which ended up being something that was obvious to everybody around that this dude is locked in because he gains in his game while managing an injury and being on the field and then being off, and then somebody on the day he’s off makes a mistake, and he utilizes their mistake and applies it to his game and does it correctly.
“So those types of things, his growth at his line of scrimmage game has been super encouraging from our camp and just really finding a guy that I think the core of the room can depend on, that is really going after it in the appropriate fashion and valuable to the team and to the young guys in how to be in professional football and make a living in this,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said of Westbrook-Ikhine.
Although playing a different position than minicamp holdout tight end Jonnu Smith, Westbrook-Ikhine could be the man to potentially benefit.
Should Miami deal Smith, Westbrook-Ikhine would be the de facto guy to go up and get red zone passes and fade routes. Smith has been absent from camp, and league reports have indicated he could be traded out of Miami.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Miami Minicamp Confidential: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine aims for immediate role on new team
Reporting by Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
