The Miami Dolphins offseason kicked-off in January with last year’s NFL “No. 1 player” proclaiming “I’m out man” in the team’s locker room after a deflating season-ending loss. The offseason comes to a close tomorrow when the full team reports to Miami Gardens.
It’s been a roller coaster ride for prognosticator’s preseason darlings in 2024-turned-this year’s preseason duds.
This site wasn’t around when the offseason started, so there were newsworthy that took place we haven’t touched on. The hope in what’s added here these items haven’t already been a regular part of the discourse already.
Included in our notebook: What it must feel like to be a Tyreek Hill apologist; thoughts on Miami’s plan at cornerback; a revisionist view of the Dolphins’ 2025 draft; and nitpicking, among other things.
REVIEWING HILL’S SEASON-FINALE FAUX PAS
First, we won’t truly ever be ‘apologists’ for any player, much less one as caught up in as many murky situations as Tyreek Hill has been in the last year. Reporting on personal business is not the aim of this site, so we will leave all of that alone. But to be clear, the silence is not complicity — it’s a choice to focus on football/entertainment in this small corner.
That said, there is one view of Hill’s behavior in the 2024 season finale (and postgame) that – for anyone who’s ever been an athlete or really competitive at anything – might be relatable, save the quitting on his team part, of course.
Go back to the situation though: Miami needed to win and have the Denver Broncos lose to the lame-duck Kansas City Chiefs in order to make the playoffs.
The Dolphins came out listless against the Jets. They trailed 15-6 at halftime and as they were surely scoreboard watching, they would have seen the Broncos rolling over the Chiefs, up 24-0 in their eventual playoff-clinching win.
But with about 12 minutes left in the third quarter in a hopeless situation, the Dolphins sent Hill out for the fourth time in the game to return a punt. Yes, Hill had publicly committed to returns many times over the course of his time in Miami if the team needed it, so it made sense Miami would use him early.
But at this point, with the playoffs clearly out of reach, it was thoughtless and dangerous to send him out. It reeked of the Bradley Chubb injury. It was a lack of in-game awareness regarding risking the health of one of your players.
And not just any player. The one selected as ‘best in the NFL’ (even though his season by then had proved otherwise). And the one who played out the season with a wrist injury that required postseason surgery.
From this vantage point whether he was or not, Hill had good reason to be pissed. He never said that was the case, but McDaniel’s acceptance of whatever was said in their exit interviews suggest he must have provided some valid answer and what other one is there?
TYREEK BEING SLEEK MAY BE STRATEGIC
In his recent media session in May, Hill’s physique looked noticeably different. So much so he was asked about it. According to him, he’s slimmed down to around 183 pounds.
When Hill first arrived in Miami, not having followed him super closely in KC, one of the first things I noticed were his ‘traps’/neck muscles. In his most recent media session, that they didn’t seem as pronounced was the first thing I noticed.
Hill’s training for the summer appeared more track-oriented than football specific, which was a little unnerving. It may have been out of necessity as he had surgery on the wrist, that’s unclear. Lifting using his hands was likely out of the question, so why not train for speed?
In Miami’s offense, the recent desire is to be more physical, not less. But there is no amount of bulking up Hill could do to become a dominant blocker. How he could offset that, however, is maintaining his speed while improving his conditioning.
“In recent years obviously I could run with anybody, run by anybody. I think having that endurance, having that ability to not get tired on third downs is very important.” – Tyreek Hill, 5/28/25
If it’s not his receiving, most times Hill’s presence is what is important to the Miami offense. Running motion with him gives the quarterback a look at any defensive shifts, while also showing the defense a different look than when Miami broke the huddle.
Like a great shooter in the NBA who can run all day to get free (see: Reggie Miller, J.J. Redick, etc.), Hill being lighter and with less muscle can help his endurance and, theoretically, help him stay on the field more plays, with more energy.
If he can play while being less gassed, Hill can run more motion and more effectively, which would move more defenders pre-snap than he ever could as a blocker post-snap.
QUICK HITTERS
— Don’t expect any signing at cornerback to blow your socks off. Sure, the Dolphins will add a veteran(s) at some point before the season starts. But it’s more likely Grier follows a similar path to what the team did last season when it let Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt walk in free agency, took the pain a year and then drafted to replace them (Grant/Savaiinaea). This year, they haven’t signed a replacement for Kendall Fuller and traded Jalen Ramsey. The 2026 college cornerback prospects look better at this point than the group at the top did in ’25. So don’t be shocked if the Dolphins go with who they’ve got, and then look to the draft and free agency next year for a big upgrade.
— In fact, if you’re a college football fan, make note of cornerbacks and wide receivers this season. The Dolphins have to start restocking the top of their depth chart at both soon.
— Don’t look for a “replacement” for Jonnu Smith. If the Dolphins want to add physicality, they can’t sacrifice it at tight end. One-dimensional tight ends who can block are preferred over those who can pass catch, as their roster suggests. They do have Tanner Conner should they go the pass-first route, but a) nobody’s holding their breath at this point and b) when he was active, Darren Waller was both a better receiver than Conner and a good enough of a blocker to not be considered one dimensional, though his hefty receiving numbers leave some with that assumption.
“You need to threaten people in multiple ways, and if you don’t, they will make you pay in one way, shape or form. The point was kind of proven last year so it’s up to us to really lean into our overall philosophical beliefs anyway.” – Mike McDaniel 6/12/25
— Based on CB Cam Smith’s responses in his press availabilities, he is not going to get it. He is a super-instinctive player and his South Carolina tape showed that. But it appears he’s going to be one of those guys whose issues just don’t show up on film and usually not until they have a contract and a locker in your facility. If you can’t do your thing within the confines of the system, you’re not going to last on any NFL team. Hopefully a miraculous thunderbolt strikes and, eureka, everything’s okay.
— When Jalen Ramsey was on the trade block and with Tyreek Hill coming off of his worst season as a Dolphins player and having off-field issues, many suggested the team try and move on from the talented wide receiver. His trade value, however, would have been relatively awful based on his situation(s) and his contract. There is no way of knowing if this is in the the minds of the pro personnel department or not, but with Hill healing from his wrist and the Dolphins offense possibly in a better state in 2025, Hill could play himself into fetching a better trade return. That would be a good thing for the Dolphins long-term and they should keep their eyes on viable contenders/possible trade partners up until week 9 and before the trade deadline hits November 4th.
— Not trying to be critical or cynical here, but I don’t understand the myriad of run game/pass game coordinators on the coaching staff to go along with a (capable) offensive coordinator and a head coach who calls the play come hell or high water anyway. How can that help effective gameday communication, for example?
— GM Chris Grier’s patience pays off sometimes, as it did in moving Jalen Ramsey et. al. to Pittsburgh. But here’s hoping he learns from his ways as well (see: Andrew Van Ginkel) and extends the contracts of the guys he should and do so expeditiously. Specifically, give Zach Sieler – the consummate pro who’s racked up 20 sacks the last two years despite missing two games from being poked in the eye – what he wants, and extend linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who after a slightly slow start played outstanding last year. Brooks turns 28 in October so a generous but team-friendly three-year deal would probably get the job done.
— If the Dolphins had allowed me to make their selections: R1 K. Grant (Mich.); R2 G J. Savaiinaea (Arizona); R5 (143) CB Zah Frazier UTSA, (150) CB J. Marshall Jr. (UF); (155) WR Tory Horton (Colo..St.); R6 (179) RB Tahj Brooks (TTU); R7 (224) S Kitan Crawford (Nevada), (231) S Hunter Wohler (Wisc.), G Clay Webb, Jacksonville State.
— My age may attribute to this but it would be preferred if McDaniel played around a little less with fourth down situations, especially on Miami’s side of the field. He seems to think about the offensive impact, but not the position he continually puts the defense in both from a field position standpoint, and stamina-wise. The team was 19th in 4th down conversion (48.4%) last year but tied for fifth in attempts (31).
— Here are the players I would have taken who were available at the Dolphins original draft spots: R1 K. Grant (Mich.); R2 CB Trey Amos (Miss.); R3 IOL Jared Wilson (UGA); R4 (116) OT Jalen Travis (Iowa St.), (135) RB DJ Giddens (K St); R5 (143) CB Zah Frazier UTSA (150), CB J. Marshall Jr. (UF); (155) WR Tory Horton (Colo..St.); R6 (179) RB Tahj Brooks (TTU); R7 (231) S Hunter Wohler (Wisc.), (253) G Clay Webb, Jacksonville State.
— It may be a good idea if McDaniel hand over red flag-challenge duties this year or possibly just leave his in the locker room. He is at the bottom among active head coaches with just four successes in 15 career challenges (22%). Average success rate since challenges began in 1999 is around 40%.
— Nitpicker alert: People are still saying Jonah Savaiinaea’s name improperly, though nobody is butchering it per se. In his initial Miami press scrum, when he said (paraphrasing), “you say the first part like Hawaii,” what he didn’t tell the mainlanders was how to say the state’s name they way he’s familiar with it. A Hawaiian accent would have one say “huh-WUH-ee” (the state’s main university, for example, spells it Hawai’i) with almost a short “t” sound between the “wuh” and the “e.” So being the anal-retentive person who used to work out West and had Hawaiians and Polynesian players on his team’s rosters while also having had the job of providing correct pronunciations to media — I’m pretty sure Jonah’s name is properly said “suh-VUH-E-NYE-uh.” My effectiveness is in question, however, as I worked with Brian Urlacher his last two years at New Mexico, he’s an NFL Hall of Famer and people still pronounce his name wrong, so … good luck Jonah!
— Football 101: for those interested in terminology, look up the difference between the terms “boundary” and “field” in a football glossary or wherever and see why it makes me nuts when people call an outside corner a “boundary” cornerback. ‘Boundary’ sounds more savvy I suppose, but in football terms, its not saying “sideline” or “outside,” though I understand the sideline is a boundary. Boundary in football terms means the short side of the field and “field” is the wide side. This widely-circulated interview in 2023 on reporter Mike Silver’s Open Mike podcast, McDaniel described what he saw in Tua (go to the 4:21 mark) that convinced him he would be the perfect fit for his offense. Pretty clear NFL coaches’ vernacular still includes ‘field’ in regard to the wide side, therefore ‘boundary’ would be what they use for the short side.
Okay, I’ll shut up now. Hat tip.
Aqua & Coral Report 