MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tyler Huntley’s signing with the Miami Dolphins sent a blast of excitement and hope through a Miami Dolphins fanbase that spent the weekend demoralized by Tua Tagovailoa’s latest concussion.
But what intrigues us the most about the Dolphins’ decision to sign Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad? It shows that Mike McDaniel is not going to stubbornly cling to an offensive scheme that is tailored for pocket passers like Tua.
Will Mike McDaniel Adapt the Miami Dolphins’ Offense?
McDaniel has often said that Tagovailoa is the perfect quarterback for his system. Yet Tagovailoa and Huntley — a dual-threat QB with big-play ability but so-so accuracy — couldn’t be more different.
So it says something important — and good — about McDaniel that in this time of crisis, he sought out the best available quarterback, and not the quarterback who could be the best facsimile of Tua.
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Asked by PFN Monday if he’s willing to broaden the playbook with Tagoaviloa’s replacements — Skylar Thompson on Sunday, but possibly Huntley down the line — McDaniel replied:
“Absolutely. And I think there’s also, the history of our offense does not start Year 1 with the Dolphins, I think with the different assets that we have in this complexion of the offense, for sure, you know that there’s a reason why I feel that with the utmost conviction with Tua.
“But going all the way back to some of the concepts and some of the beliefs that we’ve kind of developed, it wasn’t too long ago where we were adapting within the offense, we’re adapting in Washington to uncharted zone read territory [with Robert Griffin III].
“So you know that that was something that we learned that we’ve kept in place in various situations. We’ve actually run a couple concepts here before, when Skylar and Teddy [Bridgewater] were playing in ’22. That’s something that we carried all the way through 2021 and in San Fran, when we had Trey Lance onboard as well.”
That flexibility and unpredictability could provide a needed lift to an offense that has grown stale.
The Dolphins have scored just 30 points in two games this season and have averaged 15.3 per game in their last six, including the playoffs. The Bills were the latest team to demonstrate that if you double-team Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins have no answer.
Mike McDaniel makes clear that Tyler Huntley is coming in to back up Skylar Thompson, not compete with him pic.twitter.com/0CXIxixH4Y
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) September 16, 2024
A running quarterback that can get teams out of playing two-deep coverage would presumably help open things up on the outside.
And while Huntley is certainly the more dynamic runner of the two, the Dolphins should be able to run some run zone-read with Thompson Sunday in Seattle.
“There’s ways within the offense to adapt to your skill position players,” McDaniel said. “I know from a defensive perspective what that adds to how you have to defend, you know, so there is an advantage to quite frankly, you know, a different angle, or a different competitive advantage when you’re when your quarterback has a lot of success with his feet.
“I think that is something that, from our offensive standpoint, is not as it’s not as outside the box as one may think. You know, Tua’s No. 1 RPO that he runs all the time is an extension of a zone read principle that he just throws instead of running the ball. So there’s good caveats to it, and a lot of different ways to skin a cat.”