Mike McDaniel finally tried something he’d never done before with the Dolphins — and it unlocked Miami’s best offensive performance of the year

"Utilization of your roster, we had a couple injuries that we saw the opportunity to dive into some of the things that Dan (Brunskill) has done," McDaniel said after the game. "Knowing him from all the way back to his 2019 San Francisco (season), I know what type of professional he is, and his versatility. We had some injuries at the (tight end) position, so it gave us the opportunity to do something that...having not done that one time since I've been here, that they wouldn't be preparing for it.

"So it's a credit to him. Offensive linemen, typically in the segmentation of the offensive play call, don't even listen to the formation at all...so for him to, in a week's time, be able to digest the play calls, and the assignments, and the alignments? It takes a special breed, that's why I think that's his sixth position in the league, that he's started at."

Miami Dolphins' Week 8 offensive performance vs. Falcons by the numbers

• 24 first downs
• 7/15 on third and fourth downs
• 338 yards of offense (5.2 yards per play)
• 141 rushing yards
• 3/5 in trips to the red zone

As McDaniel outlined, the Dolphins have never run a jumbo package during his tenure with Miami. Miami was the only team in the league not to run a single snap with six offensive linemen on the field since the start of the 2022 season, and it marks Miami's solution to its issues without tight end Julian Hill, who missed this game with an ankle injury.

Brunskill, who played with McDaniel in San Francisco, didn't just line up and plow bodies off the line of scrimmage, either. The Dolphins were so bold as to give him motions and in-space assignments in this game.

Among reps with Brunskill in the game as an eligible player, Miami posted gains of 17 yards, 18 yards, 18 yards, and also logged gains of 21 yards and 15 yards via penalties.

Moves like these are the mark of a good coach. We haven't seen enough of them from McDaniel this season. But he deserves to be applauded for getting creative with this personnel issue, particularly given the dire situation they faced with the tight end position down several key bodies.

The alternatives included practice squad player Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich. On this day, the right button was pushed to help create a winning formula. How does it evolve from here? That's for us to find out starting on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.

But for now, Miami's coaching staff and Brunskill deserve their flowers.

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