Miami Dolphins Make Inspiring and Promising Analytics Hire

The Miami Dolphins have hired a new analytics assistant. Rachel Kaplan, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, has joined the staff in Miami Gardens. On the surface level, this is a story of a qualified woman getting a job in sports. However, when you dig a little deeper, it’s even cooler than that.

Along with her colleague Madalyn Elwood, Kaplan participated in the NFL Big Data Bowl, a sports analytics contest, earlier this year. Their topic was something that Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins coaching staff are particularly familiar with: motion.

Kaplan’s Work

Specifically, Kaplan and Elwood researched the impact that tight end motion has on running lanes. The study includes complex graphics, mathematical equations, and an attempt to quantify the effect that sending your tight end in motion has on the outcome of a given rushing play.

https://www.kaggle.com/code/madalynelwood/motion-metrics-te-motion-impact-on-rushing-lanes

While this work does not directly find a conclusive correlation, it sets up a baseline for a really interesting thought experiment that the Dolphins themselves have been conducting.

A Perfect Fit

McDaniel and Company have been very experimental with motion since the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator joined the team in 2022. Their “cheat motion” took the league by storm, and led to spurts of hyper efficient offense on the back of Tyreek Hill.

Additionally, the Dolphins have toyed with the idea of tight end motion. Clips from last preseason show them attempting to manipulate kick out angles by briefly motioning their tight end in on counter run plays.