The Miami Dolphins placed wide receiver Braxton Berrios on the injured reserve list and activated cornerback Cam Smith to the 53-man roster on Monday. Berrios suffered a left knee injury in Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Berrios returned seven punts for 103 yards and three kickoffs for 76 yards this season. Offensively, he was targeted just four times in six games. He will have to miss four games to be taken off injured reserve, meaning the earliest he could return is Week 12 against the New England Patriots.

Rookie Malik Washington is a candidate for the kick returner role after averaging 19.5 yards on 14 kickoffs and 273 receiving yards with the Virginia Cavaliers last season. Tyreek Hill, despite only returning five kicks since 2019, and second-year running back De’Von Achane both have experience with kick returns and could take a step forward.

Smith is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during Miami’s second preseason game. The 2023 second-round pick was available for 15 games last season but only played 20 defensive snaps.

With Smith’s return, the Dolphins now have seven cornerbacks on the roster – plenty of depth behind starters Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller and Kader Kohou in the slot. Siran Neal was brought in to improve special teams, and rookie Storm Duck played over 10 percent of snaps just once in the last three games. Second-year cornerback Ethan Bonner has played a total of four snaps in six games.

Smith’s return bolsters an already solid defense, but Miami now faces the challenge of getting their kick return situation under control as they look to rebound from four losses in their last five games.