Five Ways the Tyreek Hill Trade Changes the Dolphin Offense

The Miami Dolphins dominated the ever-convoluted NFL news cycle Tuesday night when they signed the near-consensus No. 1 free agent this offseason, offensive tackle Terron Armstead to a five-year deal. What did not become clear until Wednesday morning was the fact Miami wasn’t done, either. Not by a long shot. 

Within two hours of the Earth-shattering tweets from NFL insiders that Kansas City Chiefs star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was available in a trade, the Dolphins closed the deal with a package of five draft picks, three of which come on Day 3. Miami did not just announce themselves as joining the fray of AFC contenders, they barreled the door down a la the iconic Kool-Aid Man.

The move summons the questions of what will this change bring to the franchise? For starters, when the schedules are released, fans can expect more than just the customary token primetime national TV game on the docket. Secondly, those same fans can put aside their modern tradition of Frankensteining their latest mock draft now that this year’s first and second rounders are no more. More importantly, they can expect a wildly different offense on the field in 2022 than they’ve seen the last two decades.

The Underneath is About to be Wide Open

Miami has long-awaited a dynamic presence at skill positions, hoping for that never ending void to be filled by the likes of Ted Ginn, Jr., Mike Wallace or David Boston. Now, they not only have one gamebreaker, second-year wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, but the most unique and unguardable weapon in the league in Hill.

Either one of them is more than capable of getting behind a cornerback and changing the face of a game in an instant. Ever since bursting onto the scene, Hill has required safety help to ensure if he’s going to beat you, it won’t be on just one play. 

This changing around of the defense to account for the speed on the outside will open up a lot underneath for Miami. Whether that’s on screens, quick routes or safety valves out of the backfield, yardage is there to be had. All eyes will be on the deep ball – and those will certainly come – but in the meantime, there figures to be a lot of space underneath for the Dolphins to build drives.

The Field Will Also Be Stretched Horizontally to the Benefit of Mike Gesicki

It can be said Tua Tagovailoa or Mike McDaniel are the happiest men to receive the news of Hill’s arrival in South Florida. Not far behind him has to be tight end Mike Gesicki. The days of blocking-first tight ends are antiquated in the same way as the shower radio. Gesicki is an archetypal modern day tight end who is bigger than safeties, faster than linebackers and a mismatch wherever he goes. 

A career he would like to emulate as he enters what figures to be his prime is that of Hill’s former teammate Travis Kelce. The All-Pro Chiefs tight end has had six 1,000-yard seasons in his career, all six that he’s played alongside Hill. While the chicken or the egg debate can be had over who is responsible for what, the fact of the matter is they worked in synchronicity in Kansas City. That’s unquestionably something the team will hope follows Hill to Miami now alongside Gesicki.

McDaniel used a lot of motion and creative sets in San Francisco. Spreading the offense wide figures to open up the middle of the field for a player like Gesicki. The fifth-year tight end has seen his yardage increase each year and it isn’t a stretch to say it will do so again in a big way this fall.

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The Disguises on Offense will be Endless

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel totaled 90 receptions for 1,193 yards and 22 rushing attempts for 185 yards in his first two years combined. Then in his third year, McDaniel’s first as offensive coordinator, Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards to go along with 59 rushes for 365 yards. He was used in a variety of ways and just because he was lined up in the backfield did not mean he was only going to run it, but it did mean you had to respect it.

Expect both Hill and Waddle to line up in the backfield some, maybe even simultaneously. Gesicki can be lined up along the line or over in the slot. All three could be out wide, as can Devante Parker, with a single-set back in Raheem Mostert or Chase Edmonds. Lest we forget newly-signed fullback Alec Ingold who is not only capable of running the ball or blocking, but is an athletic pass catcher out of his spot. 

While defenses are getting more exotic with their disguises each passing year, the Dolphins now have one of the most amorphous offenses in recent memory. There is so much speed and so much versatility across the field that catching a defense off-balance appears less like a goal and more like an inevitability.

Miami Can Beat You in a Variety of Ways

Some teams want to ground and pound, control the clock and take their chances when they’re there. That drag-‘em-out gameplan can sometimes backfire when they get down and don’t have the ability to come back in a hurry. Others can spread it out and try to beat you through the air and with splash plays, though if some of those get taken away, their offense can be sterilized pretty quickly.

It’s no secret McDaniel values running the ball, something he was successful in doing his four seasons as the 49ers’ run game coordinator and lone campaign as the offensive coordinator. He along with general manager Chris Grier have prioritized the team’s ability to continue that in Miami. They signed Mostert, Edmonds and Ingold in hopes that if they want to establish the run, they’re able to do so. If they want to run the ball 30-40 times in a cold weather game, they believe they have the personnel to accomplish it.

On the flip side, if they find themselves in a track meet or in need of scores in a hurry, the firepower is there in full force. In NFL history, only Randy Moss had more 25+ yard catches in his first six years than Hill. Pair that with Waddle, Parker, Gesicki and the rest of the offense, the Dolphins appear poised to pick their own poison.

Tua Now has Everything he Needs

The overarching question for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired is “will this team find a quarterback?” For the past two years, that question has morphed into, “does this team have its quarterback?” Tagovailoa has found detractors saying he does not have the tools necessary to succeed in the NFL while his supporters have pointed to the coaching issues, talent at skill spots and development of the offensive line.

Now, Miami has added Armstead and Connor Williams along the line. The coaching staff, previously defensive-focused, has been overhauled and is now run by McDaniel, seen as a savant, genius or whatever other buzz word you’d like to use. Add onto that Hill, Waddle, Gesicki, Parker, Mostert and Edmonds, and he has the skill rooms that draw envy of almost every other quarterback in the league.

It isn’t “not having your quarterback” that kills franchises. It’s the purgatory of not knowing. Ryan Tannehill occupied the QB1 role for the franchise for seven years and not once did he leave anyone with a definitive feeling that he was or wasn’t “the guy.” That stagnant energy makes it impossible for a team to move forward.

Now, Tagovailoa has everything he needs around him. They have built a team with expensive supporting players around a quarterback with a rookie contract. That’s been a winning formula in recent years for teams like Philadelphia, Kansas City, Los Angeles (pre-Matt Stafford), even dating back to the Seattle Super Bowl victory. 

Whether or not Tagovailoa succeeds now rests entirely on his much-discussed left shoulder. If Miami wins with him, they have their guy. If he can’t get it done with what’s been provided, then those two first round draft picks in 2023 could end up awfully interesting. What we do know is that today will be looked back on in team history as one where the Dolphins went all in. The rest will be decided when No. 10 makes his debut in the fall.