The NFL appeared to have figured out coach Mike McDaniel’s offense in 2024.

A year removed from fielding the most productive offense in football, the Miami Dolphins fell to a dismal 18th. The big plays disappeared, the run game floundered and the team went 8-9 as a result.

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Then came a haunting realization from fans: maybe the rest of the NFL has finally caught up to the offensive guru’s scheme. McDaniel, however, had a different view of the situation.

“I think one of the things that was very is clear is that defenses had spent their time figuring out how to make us perform in all facets,” McDaniel said Wednesday.

That realization should inspire hope that the 2025 Dolphins will be better. Sure, scheme continuity and the addition of senior pass game coordinator Bobby Slowik as well as wide receiver coach Robert Prince will help. Ultimately, the success will rely on the strength of the trenches and health — particularly of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill as well as the offensive line — in order to recapture some of the 2023 magic.

“It speaks to what we preach every day in terms of balance and run affecting pass and vice-versa,” McDaniel said. “The point was kind of proven last year, and it’s up to us to really lean in to our overall philosophical beliefs.”

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Put differently, the Dolphins can’t rely solely on their pass game to make this offense go; they need to be able to pressure defenses on the ground as well. Keep in mind, Miami had the sixth-best rushing attack in 2023.

“To be too one-dimensional in any way shape or form — regardless of how adept were at doing any sort of pass game — I think they’ve showed us that we will have to earn our way out of that,” McDaniel said.

Rewind the 2024 season and McDaniel’s point holds up. The offense began to fall apart when Tagovailoa sustained a concussion during a Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Certain elements that gave the unit its luster — motions and route concepts — had to change as the Dolphins cycled through quarterbacks.

Subsequent injuries along the offensive line, namely to tackle Austin Jackson who missed the final nine games with a knee injury, limited the team’s ability to rush the ball effectively. The games that fullback Alec Ingold missed against the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders — the Dolphins averaged 3.1 yards per carry over that span — didn’t help either.

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“He means a lot to the run game,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday, calling Ingold “hit man,” an ode to his physicality. “You can see when we’re not able to go in 21 [personnel] what the run game looks like when Alec is not in there.”

With the run game out the way, defenses then could now focus on the dynamic receiver duo of Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That’s why the Dolphins started to see a bunch of two-high safety looks which teams use to limit the deep shot.

“They will simply take away explosive pass game by presnap depth unless you can make them pay in the ground game and make them exposed for their overplay,” McDaniel said Tuesday.

What will drive the run game, however, will be the offensive line which will feature three new faces in Jonah Savaiinaea, Patrick Paul and James Daniels. How they mesh — especially considering Savaiinaea and Paul will be first-time starters in the NFL while Daniels recovers from a torn Achilles — will be paramount. If the chemistry starts to come together and the Dolphins’ run game stands out, which it has in spurts during minicamp, the offense should look a lot better barring any injuries.

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As the Dolphins offseason program comes to a close, the plan appears to be coming together. Hill, who had surgery in the offseason to repair a fracture wrist, caught a few balls from coaches during the past few days. Tagovailoa’s hip, which kept him out of the last two games of the season, will be fine as long as “I can protect myself better,” the franchise quarterback said. Even Daniels and Jackson got to work during minicamp.

Until the pads go on, however, it will be difficult to speculate where the offensive line is at or even the unit’s effectiveness. That, coupled with the health of key players, will hopefully reignite McDaniel’s offense.