Tag: 153141

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins‘ offense looks completely revamped on paper, with an infusion of playmakers at the skill positions led by receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson, and running backs Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds.

Add in the hiring of offensive-minded head coach Mike McDaniel, and the Dolphins’ attack, which ranked 24th in offensive expected points added last season, should be improved in nearly every facet.

That might translate to more victories, but from a fantasy perspective, Miami’s best players could prove unpredictable as the team’s scheme adjusts week by week.

On ESPN platforms, Hill is being drafted as WR7 and last season’s standout rookie Jaylen Waddle is being drafted as WR13. There is reason to be excited about at least one of the Dolphins’ receivers considering what McDaniel did with versatile receiver Deebo Samuel last season as the coordinator in San Francisco.

Samuel broke out in 2021 with 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns, adding another 365 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Though McDaniel lauded Waddle’s yards-after-catch ability shortly after being hired in January, it was unclear if he would ask Waddle, who had two carries last season, to fill a Samuel-type role in Miami this season.

Then the Dolphins traded for Hill (league-best 20 touchdowns of 50-plus yards since 2016) in March, and it seemed like they found their do-it-all gadget player — or at least the closest thing to it. Hill has averaged 7.7 yards and scored six rushing TDs on 93 career carries.

“There’s probably going to be some overlap to some degree,” McDaniel said. “But Deebo Samuel evolved into that role because of both circumstance and because of skill set while in San Francisco. I expect no difference, really, with Tyreek, where we are going to start with the foundational elements of the receiver position.

“I promise you we’re not going to limit — or we’re going to continue the process of developing him and the Miami Dolphins football team.”

While Hill should live up to his WR7 average draft position, what should be expected from Waddle?

The 49ers’ No. 2 receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, finished last season with 826 yards and five touchdowns on 56 catches — good for WR35 in ESPN fantasy leagues. Waddle is a better receiver than Aiyuk, however, and doesn’t have to share targets with last year’s TE4, George Kittle.

Waddle was primarily used in the short-to-intermediate part of the field as a rookie, in some ways to make up for the Dolphins’ ineffective run game that ranked 30th (92.2 yards per game). He will still be used on intermediate routes to manufacture space for him to run after the catch, but the hope with McDaniel calling plays is that Waddle will be able to do so more efficiently.

Last season, Waddle finished eighth in the NFL in receptions (104), but 25th in yards (1,015) and tied for 101st in yards per catch (9.8). One of Miami’s primary goals this season must be to maximize Waddle’s skills.

“I think it’s a different team, a different scheme,” Waddle said. “Obviously we’re going to work to what we’re good at. I think Coach McDaniel does a good job of putting players in positions to make plays. I trust that he’s going to do that throughout the year.”

Miami tight end Mike Gesicki (73 catches last season) will siphon targets from Hill and Waddle, but Samuel and Kittle finished among the top 50 flex players in ESPN fantasy leagues last season despite mediocre quarterback play from Jimmy Garoppolo, who ranked 13th in QBR (53.3), and Kittle missing three games.

But for those expecting Hill to be the next Samuel as a receiver and rusher, keep in mind that Hill has finished no worse than WR11 in all but one of his six NFL seasons. That’s the player this Dolphins staff traded for, not the second coming of Samuel.

“You don’t look at it like ‘I need the next Deebo,'” McDaniel said. “Deebo wasn’t found by looking for Deebo. You look for good football players that are committed and passionate and maybe that challenge you as a coach to see ‘Hey, what other way can we utilize this skill set?'”

MIAMI — You assume every team in the NFL wants to win. Some do a better job of showing it than others.

The Miami Dolphins have spared no expense in building a contender this offseason. Their biggest additions have come on offense with the signing of left tackle Terron Armstead and a trade for receiver Tyreek Hill. However, they didn’t forget their defense.

Their latest move was a five-year, re-worked contract with cornerback Xavien Howard that gives the three-time Pro Bowler $50 million in new money even though he had three years and $39 million remaining on a contract he signed in 2019.

Howard felt he outplayed his contract, especially after Miami gave cornerback Byron Jones a five-year, $82 million deal in 2020. Howard publicly requested a trade prior to the 2021 season, and the team put a bandage on the issue by slightly restructuring his contract and promising to renegotiate after the season.

By making good on their promise, the Dolphins seemed to send a message to their locker room that the days of squabbling with their best players are over.

“Just to bring everybody back, especially on defense, is so exciting,” Howard said. “My boy [Emmanuel] Ogbah, I was happy he’s back. We can make some plays out there together. It’s exciting to have the defense back, especially going into our third year in the same defensive scheme.”

Miami began the reunion tour with its defense by retaining coordinator Josh Boyer and several other members of last year’s defensive staff, then re-signed Ogbah, their top defensive end, to a four-year, $65 million contract just minutes before legal tampering began on March 14. The sides had negotiated throughout the season but were unable to agree to a contract prior to the offseason.

Speaking at the NFL combine, however, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel publicly made it known that he wanted Ogbah back. He got his wish 12 days later.

Since then, Miami has made it clear it feels its defense from last season was worth building on. It re-signed its entire inside linebacker room and defensive tackle John Jenkins. When the team began its offseason workout program April 4, players described a new atmosphere in the locker room despite many of the same faces.

“It’s just different. You can tell,” Ogbah said. “A lot of guys are happy to be back. Everybody is just happy to see each other again. It’s only been like two months, but it felt like forever. We’re just glad to be back working again.

“Coach McDaniel brings a different type of energy into the program, so we’re excited about that, too.”

The 2021 season was a tale of two halves for the Dolphins — they were statistically one of the worst defenses in the league during the first eight weeks, which featured a seven-game losing streak.

However, the defense fueled Miami’s seven-game winning streak that began in Week 9. During the streak it led the NFL with a 40% pressure rate, allowed a league-low 257 yards per game, held opponents to a league-low 28.6% third-down conversion rate and held six opponents under 200 total yards. The Dolphins finished the season tied for second in the NFL with 48.0 sacks and tied for eighth with 26 takeaways.

They are banking on the second half of last season being more representative of the team’s true defensive identity.

“We should be as good as we want to be,” Ogbah said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, a lot of guys in key spots. We’ve just got to take that one step and get better.”

The return of all 11 starters from a season ago brings high expectations, but winning the AFC East won’t be easy. Miami is 1-7 in its past eight meetings against the Buffalo Bills, who have won two consecutive AFC East titles and are the favorites again in 2022 after improving this offseason.

But the Dolphins, coming off consecutive winning seasons, have committed more than $186 million in guaranteed money to Armstead, Hill, Howard and Ogbah alone this offseason, and Howard knows what is now demanded of this team.

“To win,” he said bluntly.

“We’ve got to finish off what we started on the defensive side. We’ve been making plays and getting stuff done for the team. We’ve got to continue doing that, add more pieces to it and hopefully cause more trouble out there on defense.”