The NFL adoption of a new kickoff rule is leading some teams to tweak their draft boards to prepare for an expected spike in returns, but the Dolphins already have a skilled returner on the roster.
Wide receiver Braxton Berrios led the league with a 30.4-yard average while playing for the Jets in 2021 and he averaged 24.5 yards per return while with Miami last season. On Tuesday, Berrios said he has been watching film of past XFL seasons because the NFL’s rule calling for a landing zone for kickoffs between the goal line and 20-yard line with other players lined up between the 30- and 40-yard-lines came from the league and they’ve got him fired up about seeing the play in action.
“I’m very excited, very excited,” Berrios said, via Alain Poupart of SI.com. “The fact that I think it’s one of the most exciting plays in a game and over the last few years was definitely getting weaned out a little bit. I’m very excited because I think it’s a big part of the game and a part that I love to do and so yeah, I want those percentages as high as possible.”
Berrios added that he thinks the first week of the season is “going to be very interesting all across the board” because of how different teams will approach a play that is going to look very different than it has in the past.