Amid Dolphins’ sluggish offensive start, one advanced metric surprisingly ranks Miami among the NFL’s top five teams as unit searches for identity

Here's your sign, Mike McDaniel. The former run game coordinator has a running game that is showing plenty of punch — Miami ranks 6th in the NFL in total EPA/rush. They trail only the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders, and Buffalo Bills. And when you filter for only rushes by non-quarterbacks (obviously not the Dolphins' strength), Miami actually ranks 5th in EPA/rush.

EPA, or expected points added, is a preferable measure for effectiveness as compared to yards per carry — which can be a bit of a hollow measure because of small sample sizes of chunk runs or, alternatively, game situations. Running for six yards while trailing by three scores on the scoreboard isn't as meaningful as running for six yards on a 3rd & 4 with the lead. That's what EPA measures — and that's why it's an important feat for the Dolphins offense to have as a matter of reconciling their offensive performance thus far in 2025.

And, just as importantly, a vision of what to lean into in order to offer more stable performances that can cut down on all of those other poorly performing issues as the team attempts to normalize them. And so with the New York Jets Jets looming, here's to the Dolphins accepting the invitation to run the dang ball, especially with the absence of Jets linebacker Quincy Williams. It should be an intriguing matchup against New York's defense, which ranks top-five in the NFL in run defense according to EPA/rush.

Mike McDaniel's search for answers should guide him here first. And then, if the Jets sell out to stuff up the box, then perhaps those explosive pass plays we've all been waiting for can come back out. But it starts with leaning into the one thing this Dolphins offense is measuring well in thus far in 2025.

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