Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Mike McDaniel explains key change the Dolphins will have to make in order to jump start their deep passing game in 2025

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 5:26 PM ET

The sight of Tyreek Hill streaking down the sideline giving the peace sign to defensive backs in his wake was a regular occurrence in 2023. Jayden Waddle joyously doing his waddle dance was also a common sight, as was De'Von Achane leaving gassed defenders behind him.

Indeed, the Dolphins were a big play offense in 2023. But what a difference a year makes. Miami went from one of the most explosive offenses in 2023 to one of the least explosive in 2024. The Dolphins' offense struggled to move the ball on the ground, even with teams employing pass-oriented looks and keeping defenders deep to take away the chunk plays.

So, what will it take to get back to making those splash plays? Mike McDaniel met with the media on Monday as the team began its mandatory minicamp. He was asked about what it will take to get the deep passing game going again, and he talked about it being a process that they have to earn in 2025.

"What was last year's defensive - at the snap - the space to eligibles ratio? Meaning how much is the defense off? What's the pass rush? Things will be more even when the whole entirety of the offense is even. When our ground game is where we want it and our line of scrimmage play is where we want it.

"The pre-snap depth of defenders and what they're defending at the very beginning of the snap and post-snap, that changes as well. To me, I'm just not trying to tell Tua to throw the ball to defensive players - turnovers are a huge part of the game - or get sacked.

"So you've got to earn those explosive opportunities. To answer your question, the hope is there will be more based upon the defensive presentations that we earn. The one thing last year showed us is that we have to earn everything based upon previous things we've done and that they will simply take away explosive pass game by pre-snap depth unless you can make them pay in the ground game."

The Dolphins certainly had that ability to make teams pay in 2023, or at least a greater one than they had in 2024. With Connor Williams and Robert Hunt in the middle, Miami was effective running the ball most of the time, as evidenced by them posting the sixth-highest rushing total in the league (2308 yards) and the best yards per carry average (5.1). That dropped off a cliff the following year down to 1794 (21st in the league) and 4.0 (tied for 27th).

The Dolphins have committed to improving their guard play - a major source of their problems in 2024 - with the signing of free agent James Daniels and the selection of Arizona IOL Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round of the draft back in April.

If Miami can indeed return their ground game closer to a 2023 version rather than last year, the respect should come back from defenses to open up opportunities for the Tua-to-Tyreek deep ball to return from its 2024 hiatus - a crucial requirement for the Dolphins to get back to the postseason this fall.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: