Dolphins film study: 3 things we could see from Miami in the second half of the season
As the Dolphins returned to the Baptist Health Training Complex, coach Mike McDaniel didn’t want to hone in too much on X’s and O’s.
“From my seat, from where I’m at with this team, I’m very, very happy about our pre-bye week season,” he said. “And why is that? Because we’ve invested enough to the point that we’ve been able to win six out of nine games. That’s the plus. But in the losses, we got something out of it each time.”
McDaniel’s message to his team was to stay the course. At 6-3 and with a 1.5-game lead in the AFC East, all of the Dolphins’ goals are right in front of them.
Any schematic changes and adjustments will begin in earnest on Wednesday when Miami begins its preparation for its home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Dolphins have a top offense and an ascending defense, but the bye week offered a moment for reflection ahead of the stretch run.
From the increased use of a top rookie to a change on defense, here are ways the Dolphins could reach new heights after the bye week.
More two-back sets
Rookie running back De’Von Achane returned to practice on Monday after a four-game stint on injured reserve because of a knee injury. While McDaniel wouldn’t commit to the rookie returning on Sunday for the team’s game against the Raiders, the third-round pick is close to getting back onto the field.
During the three-game stretch in which he burst onto the scene before his injury, Achane was one of the top big-play threats in the NFL. He led the league with a 12.1-yard carry average and is still tied for the most carries of at least 20 yards (6), despite missing five games.
Achane is a boost to a running game that already ranks second in rushing yards per game (147.9). The versatility in his skill set also allows him to be on the field at the same as Raheem Mostert in various formations.
The Dolphins have run 18 plays with both Achane and Mostert on the field this season. Miami has averaged 10.6 yards per pass attempt and 15 yards per rush on those plays, according to TruMedia. It’s a small sample size but has been much more potent than other two-running back packages Miami has used. The Dolphins have run 16 plays with Mostert and Salvon Ahmed on the field together, and those plays have averaged 6.4 yards per pass attempt and 6.6 yards per rush.
Achane won’t be a bell cow back in this offense but he should return to the top of the pecking order in the backfield when he’s ready to return. Miami’s offense has shown it can be effective with him and Mostert on the field.
Increased use of Claypool
The Dolphins traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool in October, and offensive assistants acknowledged it might take some time for the fourth-year player to grasp a complex offense.
The coaching staff has created a package of plays for Claypool, though, and he made his season debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, playing four snaps. His playing time has steadily increased each week as the team has put more on his plate.
He has found a defined role quickly, taking on some of the responsibilities that Erik Ezukanma had — blocking from a tight alignment and presnap jet motions — before a neck injury that has forced him onto the non-football injury list. Those responsibilities could be expanded, with jet sweep handoffs and snaps in the backfield. It’s something Claypool is comfortable with from his time with the Steelers. During his three-and-a-half years in Pittsburgh, Claypool had 32 carries for 167 yards (5.22-yard average) and two touchdowns. He also logged 23 snaps in the backfield in his first two seasons.
Claypool would still be a secondary playmaker in the offense but the expanded package would give defenses something else to game plan for.
More man coverage
The Dolphins’ defense is at full strength and is trending upwards. In Miami’s last four games, the defense has given up 4.7 yards per play and is allowing opponents to convert only 28.9 percent of their third-down attempts. Both figures would rank top-five over the course of the entire season.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard played for the first time together against the Chiefs in Week 9 and played a big role in the Dolphins holding Kansas City to a season-low in yards.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said that the quality of a defense’s corners can have an outsized impact on what the unit can do, and in Ramsey and Howard, Miami has two of the NFL’s elite cover corners.
While Fangio’s scheme is rooted in zone concepts, the presence of Ramsey and Howard could allow Fangio to call on more man-to-man coverages. Through nine games, the Dolphins rank 13th with a man coverage rate of 25.3 percent, according to TruMedia. In Weeks 8 and 9, with Ramsey present and then Howard joining him in the lineup, that rate increased to 29.7 percent.
With a pass rush that is starting to heat up and two All-Pro corners on the outside, Miami could take a more aggressive approach in the second half of the season.
“Y’all looking on the outside, y’all may think that it’s zone, but it’s not,” Ramsey said in June. “It’s a very complex defense and it’s a lot less zone than you think, especially under Coach Vic.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 2:32 PM.
