Mike McDaniel in 2022 is tasked with breathing life into a Dolphins offense that has ranked among the NFL's worst over the past several seasons.
If any coach could achieve that feat, then McDaniel would be the one to do it. He has had several offensive assistant roles in the NFL, but is most noted for his role in elevating the 49ers offense, first as its run game coordinator (2017-20) then its offensive coordinator (2021).
Moreover, McDaniel implements a dual-wide zone rushing/West Coast passing attack. Such a scheme highlights the playmaking ability of speedy receivers while calling for quick, accurate passes from the quarterback.
In that sense, McDaniel's offense seems tailor-made for the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (among others).
MORE: What Tua Tagovailoa needs to keep Dolphins QB job in Mike McDaniel's offense
Tagovailoa in particular must show he can succeed in McDaniel's offense if he wants to remain on the team in 2023 and beyond. Early reports from training camp indicate he and his receivers are already producing in the system, but the results that matter won't be seen until the regular season (and, the Dolphins hope, the playoffs).
With that, The Sporting News breaks down McDaniel's offense and what it means for Tagovailoa, Hill and Waddle moving forward:
How Tua Tagovailoa fits in McDaniel's offense
Tagovailoa faces a make-or-break season in 2022, and must show he's capable of leading a productive offense (and a playoff run). The good news is that McDaniel's offense seems to work in favor of his strengths, which is making quick reads off run-pass option and play-action sets to deliver accurate passes to short and intermediate ranges.
The Dolphins ranked fourth in the NFL last season with 158 play-action attempts, producing the seventh-most yardage in the NFL (1,233 yards). Conversely, the 49ers only had 124 play-action attempts last year (ranking 18th in the NFL). Yet they still produced just as effectively through the air, with 1,188 yards (ranking eighth). That illustrates how McDaniel's scheme prioritizes getting receivers in space.
Luke Chaney of Five Reasons Sports provided an excellent breakdown of how McDaniel's run game in San Francisco was designed to open passing lanes. He details how defenses consistently followed the ball carrier on RPOs, allowing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to make easy reads and hit his receivers:
🚨Mike McDaniel Miami Dolphins Film Breakdown🚨
— Luke Chaney (@luke_chaney4) February 11, 2022
Let's explore the implementation of wide zone RPOs throughout McDaniel's time with the 49ers (a thread).@5ReasonsSports | #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/vh4xU18FIl
Another stat that illustrates the effectiveness of McDaniel's system: Garoppolo last season finished second in the league with 8.6 yards per attempt; fourth in adjusted yards per attempt (8.3 yards); and first in yards gained per completion (12.7 yards).
What does that mean for Tagovailoa? That he must make quick reads and accurately place the ball for his receivers. That shouldn't be too difficult for him, considering he ranked among the more accurate passers in the league last year in several metrics:
| Completion percentage (rank) | Bad throw percentage (rank) | On-target percentage (rank) |
|---|---|---|
| 67.8 (seventh) | 16.3 (10th) | 80.1 (fifth) |
McDaniel on Thursday indicated Tagovailoa has "the most accurate, catchable ball I've ever seen," a strength that should enhance his offense's ability to maximize yards after catch:
"It's the most accurate, catchable ball I've ever seen." – Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel on what he's seen so far from Tua Tagovailoa.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 18, 2022
Full interview from the Miami Dolphins training facility
with Dan, @Stugotz790 and @MichaelRyanRuiz available now: https://t.co/7wU6zGN1F3 pic.twitter.com/twXwliCbmh
If Tagovailoa can maintain his accuracy in 2022, he should be able to generate significant yardage with his receivers.
MORE: Tua Tagovailoa responds to Dolphins' pursuit of Tom Brady, tampering investigation: 'I'm still here'
How Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle fit in McDaniel's offense
McDaniel prefers fast, shifty receivers in his offense, as opposed to big-bodied receivers. To that end, adding Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. to a group that already included Waddle should provide him all the speed he needs.
The best receivers for his offense are able to generate both separation from defenders and yards after the catch. To that end, the horizontal run game is designed to spread defenses and create lanes for receivers to make moves in space (more on that later).
Regardless, here is where Hill, Waddle and Wilson ranked last season in terms of average yards of separation and yards after catch (stats provided via NextGenStats and Pro Football Reference, respectively):
| Separation (rank) | YAC (rank) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tyreek Hill | 3.6 yards (17th) | 444 yards (17th) |
| Cedrick Wilson Jr. | 3.5 yards (24th) | 254 yards (81st) |
| Jaylen Waddle | 3.3 yards (39th) | 439 yards (19th) |
Also consider that McDaniel's 2021 offense produced two pass-catchers who ranked among the top 15 receivers in yards after catch: Deebo Samuel (second, with 786) and George Kittle (15th, with 450).
Hill, Waddle and Wilson all should see more yards after the catch in 2022, which is by design.
MORE: Dolphins draft picks 2022: Who did Miami take? Full list of NFL Draft selections
How rush attack frees up Tagovailoa, Hill, Waddle
It may seem counterintuitive in an evermore pass-happy NFL, but McDaniel's offense is predicated on running the ball, and running it well. That will be a challenge for a team that has been among the NFL's worst rushing offenses since Tagovailoa arrived in the league:
| Year | Total yards (rank) | Yards per carry (rank) | 20-plus-yard runs (rank) | Longest run (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,688 (22nd) | 3.6 (29th) | 7 (25th) | 31 yards (32nd) |
| 2021 | 1,468 (30th) | 3.6 (31st) | 5 (30th) | 30 yards (32nd) |
McDaniel's offenses in San Francisco were consistently able to establish a run game. With McDaniel as rushing coordinator, the 49ers ranked 21st in rushing yards per game in 2017 (104.0 ypg); 13th in 2018 (118.9 ypg); second in 2019 (144.1 ypg); and 15th in 2020 (118.1 ypg). They ranked seventh in 2021, when he was offensive coordinator (127.4 ypg).
McDaniel's offense isn't a straight-forward attack: It utilizes a wide zone, which stretches defenses horizontally until the running back can find a seam and break a run. It also calls for a zone blocking scheme, as opposed to a man-blocking scheme (good news for an offensive line that was historically bad in 2021).
But it doesn't work without speedy backs to take advantage of seams once they open up. Enter free-agent additions Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds.
Mostert followed McDaniel from San Francisco, and has familiarity with his offense. He has averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry from 2018 through 2020 and had 500 or more yards in 2019 and 2020, though he is coming off an injury that sidelined him for pretty much all of 2021.
Raheem Mostert is gone in a flash for the 76-yard TD! @RMos_8Ball #FTTB
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2020
📺: #AZvsSF on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/5o8cWoN1yf pic.twitter.com/MBlWHoKgDp
Likewise, Edmonds is coming off a season with the Cardinals in which he rushed for a career-high 592 yards in just 12 games. Those two should carry the bulk of the carries for Miami, though power back Sony Michel will likely be used in short-yardage situations.
Myles Gaskin, the Dolphins' leading returning rusher, will likely have to fight his way into the starting rotation. If the Dolphins can establish a legitimate ground game, it will show up in the passing game.
How McDaniel's offense uses misdirection, pre-snap motions
Miami last season ranked 10th in the NFL by using pre-snap motions on roughly 57 percent of its plays. San Francisco ranked first, using motions 82 percent of the time. That should only improve Tagovailoa's ability to read defenses, helping him make the accurate read on a given play.
McDaniel also has shown an ability to use misdirection both before and during the play to fool defenses.
McDaniel casually swaps Deebo in and Juszczyk out of the backfield while creating misdirection with the motion. Combine that with the down/distance and the excellent trap block. This isn’t something you expect pic.twitter.com/0UBkQ0IDFQ
— 🤙 Bluephin Tua (@BluephinTua) July 24, 2022
Rams coach Sean McVay, for example, had this to say of McDaniel when he was hired by the Dolphins:
"He gets a lot of credit for being involved in the run game but when we worked together in Washington, he's a guy that really sees the game through the totality of all 22," McVay said. "Not just what are the offensive guys doing. But what are the roles and responsibility of the defense? How can we capitalize on some of the things that they're being coached to do to take advantage of that and try to manipulate their rules and put them in conflict with their eyes."
McDaniel has continued that trend in Miami. Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, for example, noted how the Dolphins kept the defense on its does during the teams' joint practice:
Buccaneers OLB Shaq Barrett with a great quote summarizing what he has seen out of the new Dolphins offense under Mike McDaniel. pic.twitter.com/4AK10E88Ql
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) August 11, 2022
Whether Tagovailoa will be able to properly read defenses and run McDaniel's offense remains to be seen. But the quarterback has received more support this offseason than perhaps any of his previous seasons in Miami.
If he can make the most of his opportunity, then he, Hill and Waddle should reap the benefits.
