The Miami Dolphins finally added a receiver with some size.
The team signed former Tennessee Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ihkine to a two-year, $6.5 million contract this week. Westbrook-Ihkene is listed at 6-2, 211 on the team’s website, tying him with Erik Ezukanama, who isn’t usually active on game days, for Miami’s tallest receiver.
Why does this matter? The Dolphins have relied on short, speed receivers for the entirety of the Mike McDaniel era. It’s made the Dolphins’ offense one note and predictable while also making the team’s outside run game less effective due to poor perimeter blocking.
Westbrook-Ikhene should help address those issues and add an element of vertical receiving ability. Last season, he recorded 32 catches for 497 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 15.43 yards per catch.
The third receiver spot has been an eyesore during the past three seasons, but there’s a chance Westbrook-Ikhene will finally be the answer. We’ve decided to dive into the film and find out.
Nick Westbrook-Ihkine’s Strengths
Blocking
This is — by far — the most important element of Westbrook-Ikhene’s game relative to the Dolphins’ offense.
Although offensive line issues are often blamed for Miami’s poor running game down the stretch last season, equal blame must be given to the receivers, tight ends, and coaching staff that kept putting those players in a position to fail.
A huge part of the Dolphins’ outside rushing attack is asking receivers and tight ends to make key blocks at the point of attack. Smaller players like Tyreek Hill, Malik Washington and Braxton Berrios were often asked to punch above their weight class last season, which limited the ground game’s effectiveness.
Enter Westbrook-Ikhine, who was used in various blocking schemes with the Titans and actually has the size to execute those assignments properly.
A common blocking assignment for receivers is crashing down from the outside to seal a safety or linebacker on the second level. This rep against the Colts is a great example of Westbrook-Ikhine doing that effectively, leading to a good run.
While that is pretty standard, Westbrook-Ikhine also was used in condensed splits (lining up closer to the offensive line), which the Dolphins do a lot of. This play is called crack-toss, and it’s a Dolphins staple.
The idea is to have the receiver (in this case, Westbrook-Ikhine) block the defensive end while the tackle pulls out into space and becomes a lead blocker against a smaller defender. Westbrook-Ikhine did this a lot in Tennessee and is quite good at it.
This rep is similar to the previous one but asks even more of Westbrook-Ikhine. This time, he chips the defensive end, allowing time for the pulling guard to secure the block. After his chip, he climbs to the second level and properly seals off a second-level defender.
There are even more examples of Westbrook-Ikhine’s blocking versatility, too. He’s been used as a split-zone blocker like a tight end and even asked to block the C-gap (the gap between the tackle and tight end) on Duo concepts.
Blocking isn’t the most glamorous strength on a receiver’s profile, but the Dolphins have needed a player like this for years, and they finally got one.
Vertical Receiving Ability
As a receiver, Westbrook-Ikhene has made a living out of winning on vertical routes.
Last season, he ran 431 total routes, and 103 of them were Go routes. He did not run any other route even 80 times. That’s a big reason he averaged 15.43 yards per catch in 2024.
Westbrook-Ikhine’s combination of size and speed makes it difficult for opposing cornerbacks to cover him downfield. He’s also become a savvy vertical route runner. He understands how to attack defensive back’s blind spots and sells his breaks on double moves quite well.
This allows him to consistently get behind defenses to create big plays. It should also be noted that the Titans targeted Westbrook-Ikhine more often when they were behind the sticks.
He was targeted 32 times when the Titans needed between 7 and 10 yards to pick up a first down. Additionally, his 21 third-down targets and 209 third-down receiving yards were his most on any down last season.
This matters a lot for the Dolphins, as they struggled to complete vertical passes last season. They finished last in the NFL in completions that traveled 20 air yards, which is unacceptable for a team with Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Ball Tracking, Body Control
Westbrook-Ikhine is a different type of vertical threat than Hill and Waddle. While he has some speed, he’s much more physical and capable of making difficult catches outside his frame.
Ball tracking is an incredibly underrated trait for receivers. A quarterback’s deep ball accuracy is as much about their ability to throw downfield as it is the receiver’s ability to adjust their route and make a difficult catch.
This catch against the Jaguars is an example of that in action. Watch how Westbrook-Ikhine adjusts to the back-shoulder throw and goes out of bounds to haul in that pass. That adjustment makes the throw look a lot better than it is.
The ball should have been much more of a line drive, pinning the ball on Westbrook-Ikhine’s back side. While the throw is on the correct shoulder all of the air put under it forces Westbrook-Ikhine to make a more difficult catch falling out of bounds.
The Dolphins didn’t have a single receiver who took significant snaps last season that could make this catch consistently. Hill and Waddle can pull it off, but it’s much harder for them.
This also makes Westbrook-Ikhine an excellent target in contested situations, another area where the Dolphins’ other receivers struggle.
Westbrook-Ikhene’s Weaknesses
Route Running Diversity, Separation vs. Man
As we mentioned above, Westbrook-Ikhine’s routes came mostly on vertical concepts. Tennessee asked him to run in a straight line and make catches down the field — and that’s basically it.
His second most frequently run route is a hitch (77 times), which doesn’t exactly highlight Westbrook-Ikhine’s ability to win as a pure route runner.
This makes him a fairly limited player when it comes to affecting the passing game. At this point in his career, Westbrook-Ikhine is a one-trick pony in the receiving game. Opposing defenses won’t have to do much scouting to understand how to limit his production.
Combined with the poor Titans’ quarterback play, this is likely one of the biggest reasons Westbrook-Ikhine’s box score production is so modest.
The other half of the coin is his ability to separate against man coverage. Westbrook-Ikhine can struggle to create space when corners can match him physically.
As a bigger receiver, he doesn’t change directions overly well. This prevents him from creating space out of his breaks, which is likely why the Titans didn’t ask him to run many routes with breaks.
This creates an interesting dynamic for the Dolphins. Under McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s offense has excelled at throwing in-breaking, anticipation routes into the middle of the field. That’s not Westbrook-Ikhine’s game — at all.
The Dolphins do get a lot of zone coverage, which will at least mitigate some of Westbrook-Ikhine’s separation difficulties.
It’s good the Dolphins are adding a player with a diverse skill set, but they’ll have to find creative ways to work Westbrook-Ikhine into the passing game because, historically, he’s not the type of receiver Tagovailoa has meshed with.
The Final Word on Westbrook-Ikhine
Upon reviewing the film, there’s a good chance Westbrook-Ikhine is the best WR3 the Dolphins have had in the McDaniel era.
That’s not an incredibly high bar to clear, but it’s an important one. Westbrook-Ikhine is the first WR3 to complement Hill and Waddle’s skill set and not just double down on what those players already do well.
He’s also on the right side of 30 and is an ascending talent who could get even better with a good quarterback (Tagovailoa) throwing him the ball this coming season.
Plus, Westbrook-Ikhne can contribute in a meaningful way that won’t show up in the box score. His ability to be a reliable blocker should not be underestimated. It’s a critical part of the Dolphins’ run scheme and something they’ve neglected for far too long.
The only potential hiccup to Westbrook-Ikhine living up to his very modest contract is how he fits in the Dolphins’ passing game.
It’s good the Dolphins have identified that his ability to win downfield in contested situations is a skill set they need, but it will only help them if they use it. Miami has a bad tendency to not adapt its offense to accommodate players with different skill sets.
If they want to get the most out of Westbrook-Ikhine, they’ll have to do some things outside of McDaniel and Tagovailoa’s comfort zone.
Still, it’s impossible to say that this is anything but a good signing. Westbrook-Ikhine fills a need and has the potential to diversify Miami’s offense, which is the unit’s biggest weakness.
