What Mike McDaniel’s offense means for Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
Mike McDaniel in 2022 is tasked with breathing life into a Dolphins offense that has been among the NFL’s worst in recent seasons.
If a coach could pull off that feat, McDaniel would be the one to pull it off. He has held several offensive assistant roles in the NFL, but is best known for his role in strengthening the 49ers’ offense, first as run game coordinator (2017-20) and then as offensive coordinator (2021).
In addition, McDaniel implements a dual-wide zone rushing/west coast passing attack. Such a scheme emphasizes the playmaking ability of fast receivers, while the quarterback demands quick and accurate passes.
In that sense, McDaniel’s offense seems tailor-made for the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (among others).
MORE: What Tua Tagovailoa needs to keep Dolphins QB job on Mike McDaniel’s offense
Tagovailoa in particular needs to show he can be successful on McDaniel’s offense if he wants to stay with the team in 2023 and beyond. Early reports from training camp suggest he and his receivers are already producing in the system, but the results that count won’t be seen until the regular season (and, the Dolphins hope, the playoffs) come.
With that, The Sporting News breaks down McDaniel’s offense and what it means for the future of Tagovailoa, Hill and Waddle:
How Tua Tagovailoa fits into McDaniel’s offense
Tagovailoa faces a pivotal season in 2022 and needs to show he’s capable of leading a productive offense (and playoff run). The good news is that McDaniel’s offense appears to be working in favor of his strengths, which allow for quick run-pass option reads and play-action sets to deliver accurate passes at short and medium ranges.
The Dolphins ranked fourth in the NFL last season with 158 play-action attempts and had the seventh-highest yard count in the NFL (1,233 yards). Conversely, the 49ers only made 124 play-action attempts last year (ranked 18th in the NFL). Still, they produced just as effectively through the air with 1,188 yards (eighth place). This illustrates how McDaniel’s scheme prioritizes getting receivers into space.
MORE: Tom Brady’s clumsy manipulation of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross puts pressure on Tua Tagovailoa in 2022
Five Reasons Sports’ Luke Chaney provided an excellent breakdown of how McDaniel’s running game was engineered in San Francisco to open up fast lanes. He describes how the defense consistently followed the ball carrier on RPOs, allowing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to easily read and hit his receivers:
🚨Mike McDaniel Miami Dolphins Movie Breakdown🚨
Let’s examine the implementation of wide-zone RPOs during McDaniel’s time with the 49ers (one thread).@5reasonssport | #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/vh4xU18FIl
— Luke Chaney (@luke_chaney4) February 11, 2022
Another stat that illustrates the effectiveness of McDaniel’s system: Garoppolo finished second in the league last season at 8.6 yards per attempt; Fourth in adjusted yards per attempt (8.3 yards); and first in yards gained per completion (12.7 yards).
What does this mean for Tagovailoa? That he must read quickly and place the ball accurately for his receivers. That shouldn’t be too difficult for him considering he was among the more accurate passers in the league in several metrics last year:
| Completion Percentage (Rank) | Poor Throw Percentage (Rank) | Goal Achievement Percentage (Rank) |
|---|---|---|
| 67.8 (seventh) | 16.3 (10th) | 80.1 (fifth) |
McDaniel hinted Thursday that Tagovailoa has “the most accurate, catchable ball I’ve ever seen,” a strength that should enhance his offense’s ability to maximize yards after catches:
“This is the most accurate, catchable ball I’ve ever seen.” – Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on what he has seen of Tua Tagovailoa so far.
Full interview from the Miami Dolphins training facility
with Dan, @Stugotz790 and @MichaelRyanRuiz Available now: https://t.co/7wU6zGN1F3 pic.twitter.com/twXwliCbmh— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 18, 2022
If Tagovailoa can maintain its accuracy in 2022, it should be able to achieve significant range with its receivers.
MORE: Tua Tagovailoa responds to dolphins chasing Tom Brady and rigged inquest: ‘I’m still here’
Like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle fit into McDaniel’s offense
McDaniel prefers fast, dodgy receivers to big format receivers on his offense. To that end, adding Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. to a group Waddle was already a part of should give him all the speed he needs.
The best receivers on his offense are able to generate both separation from defenders and yards after the catch. To that end, horizontal running play is designed to spread out defenses and create lanes for receivers to move around space (more on that later).
Regardless, this is where Hill, Waddle, and Wilson ranked for average yards from separation and yards after catch last season (stats from NextGenStats and Pro Football Reference, respectively):
| separation (rank) | YAC (Rank) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tyreek Hill | 3.6 meters (17th) | 444 yards (17th) |
| Cedrick Wilson Jr. | 3.5 meters (24th) | 439 yards (19th) |
| Jaylen Waddle | 3.3 meters (39th) | 254 yards (81st) |
Also consider that McDaniel’s offense in 2021 produced two passcatchers who were among the top 15 receivers in yards after the catch: Deebo Samuel (runner-up with 786) and George Kittle (15th with 450).
Hill, Waddle and Wilson should all see more yards after the catch in 2022, which is intended.
MORE: Dolphins draft picks 2022: Who did Miami pick? Complete List of NFL Draft Picks
Like a rush attack Tagovailoa, Hill, Waddle freed
It might seem counterintuitive in an increasingly passing NFL, but McDaniel’s offense is built on running the ball, and doing it well. This will be a challenge for a team that has been one of the NFL’s worst rushing offenses since Tagovailoa’s arrival in the league:
| Year | total meters (rank) | Yards per carry (rank) | 20 yard dashes (rank) | Longest Run (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,688 (22nd) | 3.6 (29th) | 7 (25th) | 31 yards (32nd) |
| 2021 | 1,468 (30th) | 3.6 (31st) | 5 (30th) | 30 yards (32nd) |
McDaniel’s offenses in San Francisco were consistently able to establish a running game. With McDaniel as rushing coordinator, the 49ers ranked 21st in rushing yards per game (104.0 ypg) in 2017; 13th in 2018 (118.9 ypg); Second in 2019 (144.1 ypg); and 15th in 2020 (118.1 ypg). They finished seventh in 2021 when he was offensive coordinator (127.4 ypg).
McDaniel’s offense isn’t a straight-line attack: It uses a wide zone that stretches the defense horizontally until the running back can find a seam and break a run. It also calls for a zone blocking scheme as opposed to a man blocking scheme (great news for an offensive line that was historically poor in 2021).
But it doesn’t work without quick backs to take advantage of seams once they open up. Enter free agent additions Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds.
Mostert followed McDaniel from San Francisco and is familiar with his offense. He has averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry from 2018-20 and had 500 or more yards in 2019 and 2020, despite recovering from an injury that sidelined him for most of 2021.
Raheem Mostert is gone in the blink of an eye for the 76-yard TD! @RMos_8Ball #FTTB
📺: #AZvsSF on FOX
📱: NFL App // Yahoo Sports App: https://t.co/5o8cWoN1yf pic.twitter.com/MBlWHoKgDp— NFL (@NFL) 09/13/2020
Likewise, Edmonds ends a season with the Cardinals in which he rushed for a career-high 592 yards in just 12 games. These two should carry the majority of carries for Miami, although power back Sony Michel will likely be used in short-yard situations.
Salvon Ahmed, the Dolphins’ leading returning rusher, will likely have to fight his way into the starting rotation. If the Dolphins can establish legitimate ground play, it will show in the passing game.
MORE: Tyreek Hill explains how Davante Adams’ contract, Tua Tagovailoa, influenced decision to leave Chiefs for Dolphins
How McDaniel’s offense uses misdirection and pre-snap moves
Miami ranked 10th in the NFL last season by using pre-snap motion in about 57 percent of its games. San Francisco ranked first, using applications 82 percent of the time. That should only improve Tagovailoa’s ability to read defenses and help him read a specific play accurately.
McDaniel has also demonstrated the ability to use misdirection both before and during the game to fool defenses.
McDaniel casually trades in Deebo and Juszczyk from the backfield while creating a misdirection with the move. Combine that with the down/distance and the excellent trap block. You don’t expect that pic.twitter.com/0UBkQ0IDFQ
— 🤙 Bluephin Tua (@BluephinTua) July 24, 2022
For example, Rams coach Sean McVay had this to say about McDaniel when he was hired by the Dolphins:
“He gets a lot of credit for being involved in the running game, but when we worked together in Washington, he’s a guy who really sees the game through the entirety of all 22,” McVay said. “Not just what the offensive players do. But what are the roles and responsibilities of defense? How can we use some of the things they train to use this and try to manipulate their rules and put them at odds with their eyes.”
McDaniel has continued this trend in Miami. Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, for example, noted how the Dolphins kept the defense on their toes during the teams’ joint practice session:
Buccaneers OLB Shaq Barrett with a great quote summarizing what he’s seen of the Dolphins’ new offense under Mike McDaniel. pic.twitter.com/4AK10E88Ql
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) August 11, 2022
Whether Tagovailoa will be able to read defense properly and execute McDaniel’s attack remains to be seen. But the quarterback has received more support this offseason than perhaps in any of his previous seasons in Miami.
If he can make the most of his opportunity, he, Hill and Waddle should take advantage.