Former Miami Beach star looks to resurrect career
Ricardo Louis, a former fourth-round pick of the Browns, overcomes a significant injury to land a spot on the Dolphins.
One of the Dolphins’ intriguing veteran pickups this spring missed all of last season with a neck injury. But that was far from the worst development that 2018 delivered for Ricardo Louis.
Louis, the former Miami Beach High star, spoke recently about the toughest year of his life, when news that he would miss the season was followed shortly after with far more devastating news:
His uncle, Jackson Dunois, a Miami corrections offer who raised Louis, had died after a brief battle with lung cancer.
“It happened so suddenly,” Louis said at the Dolphins’ voluntary veteran’s minicamp last month. “He died of lung cancer, stage 4. When we found out, it was a little too late. He died two or three days after my surgery.
“Coming home, hearing that news, it was very hard to deal with. We stuck it out as a family, stuck together. It was really tough. Besides missing time on the field, I was dealing with tragedy.”
There was initially some uncertainty whether Louis would return from the neck injury sustained late in the 2017 season. But he made a full recovery and was cleared to return this spring.
“I kept hope alive that I would eventually come back and play again,” he said. “My No. 1 goal was to come back 100 percent and be better than I was before. I continued to work and do everything to
allow me to maintain my skills and speed, watching a lot of film like a coach and learning the game.
“It’s a blessing to be here now. I’m very thankful for the opportunity the Dolphins have given me. It’s going to be a great year.”
Louis, 6-2, was a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker and safety at Miami Beach High, and ESPN rated him the 21st best prospect in the 2012 class.
He initially committed to Auburn, flipped to FSU and then committed again to Auburn, where he caught 98 passes for 1,338 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons. He was on the receiving end of “The Prayer at Jordan-Hare,” catching a deflected pass on a fourth-and-18 throw by Nick Marshall for a 73-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play. That gave Auburn a 43-38 victory over Georgia on Nov. 16, 2013.
Cleveland drafted him in the fourth round, 114th overall, and he played in all 32 games, with 12 starts, over two seasons (2016 and 2017), producing 45 catches for 562 yards (a 12.5 average) with no touchdowns.
The Browns announced last July he would miss the season with the neck injury, and they waived him April 1.
Louis said a bunch of teams reached out to him in the days after the Browns cut him last month, but he worked out for only the Dolphins, who signed him April 8.
“Playing at home in front of family and friends is a big plus,” he said. “Any team that offered me opportunity to play again is a blessing. I didn’t work out for any teams [except Miami] but a lot of teams called.”
If Louis, 25, plays well in training camp and preseason, there’s a good chance Miami will keep six receivers — Louis, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant and, likely, Brice Butler.
Four others are under contract: Isaiah Ford, former AAF player Reece Horn and undrafted rookies Preston Williams (Colorado State) and Trenton Irwin (Stanford).
“There are many veteran receivers here, and they’re very talented in many ways,” Louis said. “We’ve got a lot of speed and size. I’m just looking to contribute any way I can, compete, make a name for himself.”
And he believes he will be a better player than the one who suited up for Cleveland.
“Before I first got into the league, I wasn’t very polished as a receiver,” he said. “That was one of the weaknesses of my game and being consistent. So that’s one of the things I continue to work on every day.
“Going into year four, a lot of the skills I have are very diverse, regarding the speed I have, my quickness, lateral movement, attacking the ball and just making plays downfield. The main thing I feel I’m really good at is after the catch.
“Every time I touch the ball, I want to take it for six and make everyone excited to see the ball in my hands.”
Losing someone so close to him has made Louis interested in a cause very important to the Dolphins: fund-raising for cancer research. Coach Brian Flores lost his mother to cancer this offseason.
“I would like to get a chance to go into the community and visit patients with cancer, elderly people, kids, whoever has that disease,” Louis said.
“I would like to participate in any fund-raising, any community service the Dolphins have because I can relate to anyone’s family” who is dealing with cancer.