Every team wants to have their Travis Kelce. And I understand. You see guys like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride and Sam LaPorta have big seasons lately.
But when the Dolphins and other teams started beating defenses over the top, teams started playing safeties deep. So we saw offenses adapt by pounding the running game. Isn’t that why Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley were so impactful last season despite coming into the year with moderate/low expectations given their age and injuries?
So if that’s true, you’re going to need a strong offensive line and good blockers at TE.
Even before this apparent shift by defenses, the Dolphins lacked the ability to grind out first downs with their RBs. Part of that was the line and TE blocking. Part of that was that Mostert and Achane weren’t those kinds of backs.
There are a lot of holes in the Dolphins roster. Offensively, I still think they lack a big body receiver to methodically drive down the field. Maybe Waller can help there. I doubt Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is that guy. Certainly Hill and Waddle aren’t.
There was a lot of talk about Jaylen Wright being this hidden talent at RB that could push for the starting job. I don’t think we’ve seen any real evidence of that yet. He’s someone to monitor this summer though.
Mike McDaniel has a lot of pressure. He’s supposed to be this offensive guru. Yet without Tua last season they couldn’t score any points against some awful teams. When the Seahawks, Titans, Patriots and Colts have you locked down, that’s bad. Getting Zach Wilson as a backup QB doesn’t inspire any confidence.
