The Miami Dolphins made a lot of big plays and scored a lot of points on offense in the first 12 games of the season, but then things went south in a hurry. There can be a lot of reasons for this. For me, the number 1 reason is because wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had injuries and were clearly not 100% at the end of the season. Hill had an ankle injury that took away his explosion and acceleration. If you take that away from him, defenses aren’t scared of you, and Hill, even when he caught passes, would go down and not even try to get extra yards because he knew he didn’t have that gear he needed in his game and what makes him a unique talent. Waddle battled injuries all season, and even though he had a 3rd straight 1,000-yard season, it was a quiet season and frankly underwhelming. I love Waddle and his playing, but he didn’t have a season to remember to say the least. 

The Dolphins needed other receivers to step up, and they weren’t late in the season. Either the Dolphins are still developing a receiver, or they don’t have one, and I think it’s the latter. Cedrick Wilson had a better season than last year, but he isn’t living up to his 3-year $23 million dollar deal he signed a year ago. He’s not coming back because he restructured his contract earlier this year, and the final year of his contract was voided. Braxton Berrios, I thought, was a good signing as a returner and really felt could help as a number 3 receiver potentially, but it didn’t work out. I have no issue with him coming back as a returner, but I need more than that. River Cracraft didn’t produce much at all, especially after coming back from his Week 3 shoulder injury. Robbie Chose Anderson, I don’t know why he was on the roster frankly. All he does is run fly patterns, and that is it, and he doesn’t play special teams.

Chase Claypool, who was acquired in an in-season trade, didn’t make an impact, and he is a big physical receiver that the Dolphins don’t have from anyone else. If McDaniel runs that fade pattern in the red zone, why didn’t he use him more? Maybe he needs to learn the offense in a full offseason, but he’s a free agent, and if he comes back, ok, give it a try again with a full offseason. The biggest mystery was Erik Ezukanma, the team’s 4th round pick two years ago; he was part of the offense in the first two games but then went on the non-football injury list and never played. Nobody talked about it. The question is, will he come back?

If he does, then maybe that’s an option. The Dolphins can’t return to the same crew. They must go find another receiver who can contribute and be the number 3 receiver, especially when Hill or Waddle goes down. Not having that other threat hurt the team at the end of the season because teams knew they didn’t have another receiving option. 

The Dolphins also need to find a reliable pass-catching tight end. I admit before the season and even part of the season, I didn’t think the Dolphins needed a tight end badly, but I was wrong. Durham Smythe, I like being a tight end and doing a lot of blocking, but the Dolphins need more than a blocking tight end. Julian Hill was an undrafted rookie, and maybe he could develop into that receiving tight end. He was on the field a lot and did well as a blocker and little to nothing as a receiver.

Last year, the draft was considered one of the deepest at the tight end position in years, but the Dolphins didn’t take one, to my surprise. They drafted Elijah Higgins in the 6th round, but he wasn’t a true tight end and was learning the position. The Dolphins released him, but he was scooped up by the Arizona Cardinals. The Dolphins didn’t have a touchdown by the tight end position this year, and in the red zone, you need to have that threat.

I get the Dolphins ask their tight ends to block more than receive, and it’s hard to find those all-around tight ends, especially with the college game going to a more spread offense. Tight Ends don’t get coached to block. It’s hard to find a Travis Kelce or a George Kittle, but the Dolphins must find one. It’s the missing piece to this offense. 

John Embree is a great tight ends coach, and giving him a young, talented tight end to mold would be very wise.

The tight end is considered the quarterback’s security blanket underneath where they can dump the ball off when no one else is open, and the Dolphins don’t have that player. 

If the Dolphins can find a tight end and a 3rd receiver, then I think the Dolphins offense could evolve more. It’s not the team’s biggest need this offseason, but building quality depth will help when injuries happen. The Dolphins can still use their running backs Raheem Mostert and Devon Achane as well, but if they get the third receiver and tight end, it will open things up for the running backs as well. Achane can especially be dangerous as a receiver. We all saw what he could do when in open space, and I think he hasn’t scratched the surface of his potential. 

The Dolphins need to continue to add more depth at the skill positions. You can find them anywhere and don’t have to spend a high draft pick unless one falls into your lap or spend a lot of money on in free agency.Â