The Dolphins offense has been lackluster through three games. Will a quarterback change help?
The Miami Dolphins offense that led the league in total yardage doesn’t look the same.
Aside from the uncertainty at quarterback, which coach Mike McDaniel skirted around Tuesday when he didn’t name a starter for Monday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans, the numbers speak for themselves. Tied for dead last in red zone touchdown percentage. Last in scoring. Middle of the pack when it comes to total offense.
The bottom line: a once-elite offense has looked rather dismal through three weeks.
“I think it’s important as a head coach and a leader to take accountability for all decisions made,” coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday afternoon about the offense’s lack of production, later adding “I take the responsibility super serious, and every time that I’m calling a game, it’s based upon doing the best for the team and the second — I mean I wouldn’t hesitate to change that procedure because it is my call; I would change it in a heartbeat if I thought somebody else gave the team a better chance to win.”
A quarterback change could help. Though McDaniel didn’t necessarily name a starter, he acknowledged that the next few days would be rather telling about Skylar Thompson’s availability after suffering a rib injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Tim Boyle would be next in line to start but it’s no secret that Tyler Huntley, whom the Dolphins signed last Tuesday, could add a bit of flare to the offense given his running ability.
“Snoop is a guy who’s going to be very prepared,” Calais Campbell said of Huntley, calling him by his nickname. The two played three seasons together on the Baltimore Ravens. “He can make every throw. I think he has good poise in the pocket. And he can create with his legs which is something that, with the weapons we have at receiver and the way people have to guard us, if you can make plays with your legs, there’s going to be some opportunities.”
And while the insertion of Huntley might mean a bit of reworking the offense, McDaniel said that there already exists concepts that lend itself to the Pro Bowler’s game.
“The good news is within the framework of the offense, there’s typically some of those principles that are put in intentionally for the preseason and that’s something that was built within the offense back from 2012 — actually, ode to Robert Griffin III on that one,” McDaniel said, referring to his time as an offensive assistant with the then-Washington Redskins. “So that’s kind of the art of the illusion of complexity — can you add some stuff? If you do, the only way that you can is that there has to be some overlap into what you already do. Just because you don’t go in and completely change from ground zero everything you do.”
Added McDaniel: “There’s a lot of stuff on the table. And in moments that are broader than just the quarterback, just the overall offense and the team in general, I think you have to open up your mind to a plethora of different solutions.”
Steady quarterback play, however, might be the least of the Dolphins’ offensive woes. Keep in mind: Tua Tagovailoa had thrown three interceptions against the Buffalo Bills before the collision with Damar Hamlin resulted in a concussion and a spot on injured reserve. Something else is missing because, to paraphrase fullbox Alec Ingold, their lack of productivity can’t fall squarely on one person’s shoulders.
“We are thinking about who can come save the day? Whether it’s Tyler Huntley or Tua after the bye week. What we need to focus on is how everybody can be better....As a team we need to be better and problem solvers together and not looking for a savior to come down,” Ingold said.
Huntley won’t be able to change the fact that the Dolphins are the only team that has led a total of zero seconds through three games. Or will he be able to fix redzone issues that have dropped the team’s touchdown efficiency in that area from 65.5% in 2023 to 25%. He also won’t be able to fix what Jaylen Waddle deemed frustration from the offensive players.
We’re “frustrated because we know we’re better than what we’re putting out there,” Waddle said. “But I think it’s good for us because… we get to see what our team is made of early.”
So where do things go from here? Well, one of two places. The Dolphins can either lie down and hope that the issues resolve themselves upon Tagovailoa’s return. Or they can try to fix the issues so that by the time Tagovailoa suits up again, the offense will run smoothly. Because regardless of what actually happens, nobody — not the players, the coaching staff, the front office, the fans — is happy with a 1-2 start.
“If we built a process since April for the last two years and we’re starting off slow for the first time since I’ve been here, I don’t know if you can change that process or overcompensate because you aren’t seeing the results. Now that’s a high standard that we carry and we have to all reflect and say ‘Are we keeping that standard? Are we all accountable to that level?’”
“It starts with the mirror,” Ingold added. If I’m not doing that, if the running back room isn’t doing that, we need to fix it in our room before we can try and change everything. And I think that’s where we’re at: we’re trying to reflect internally and then we’re able to move forward with that higher level of accountability to help raise that bar from execution to meet the potential we have. Because we all know it’s there.”
