How good can the Miami Dolphins offense be in 2018?
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins made a ton of changes to their roster this year but until they play a meaningful game none of it matters.
Of all the questions being asked around Davie the biggest questions seem to be centered on the offense and more specifically the return of Ryan Tannehill. His health of course is the question but through two, three-day OTA sessions thus far, he looks to be 100%.
It is never a good idea to assume anything so when it comes to the Dolphins offense and Tannehill we have to put an asterisk next to his name just in case. But, *assuming, that Tannehill is indeed fully recovored, how good can this offense be?
Adam Gase has put his trust in Tannehill and Tannehill was on his way to his best season in 2016 before the knee injury. Something started to click and after spending a season watching the Gase offense from the sideline, he should have a better mental grasp of how Gase wants things done.
With Tannehill continuing to progress the vision of this years offense turns to the other positions and how they might impact the 2018 season. It starts with the offensive line.
Up front the Dolphins made two bold moves back in March. They added a top free agent guard in Josh Sitton and they released Mike Pouncey. Following the Pouncey move they traded for Daniel Kilgore to take his place.
Is Kilgore an upgrade over Pouncey? No. At least not when Pouncey is healthy but Kilgore will practice without restrictions, limitations, or rest periods. So in that vein yes he is an improvement because the offensive line will have more time to work together and become a cohesive unit.
This years Oline should be the best in the last decade.
With Jarvis Landry gone the Dolphins are hoping to see improvement come in the form of a more diversified receiver group that includes more than one primary target. The Dolphins are hoping to spread the 112 Landry receptions to other offensive weapons.
Albert Wilson is more than a slot guy because of his speed. He should force defenses to cover him with safety help. With Danny Amendola comes a pristine route runner and perfectionist who wants to prove that he is more than a product of the Bill Belichick offense. Amendola has very good hands and isn’t afraid to lead.
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Perhaps the biggest plus will come in the form of two rookie TE’s who are in line to make day one impacts on the roster. Mike Gesicki is working hard with Ryan Tannehill to refine his routes and learn the system. The big receiving tight-end needs to become the red-zone threat Miami lacks. Durham Smythe can catch but more importantly he can block which will help the offensive line.
In the back-field, Kenyan Drake will split carries with the ageless wonder, Frank Gore. The one-two punch will keep defenses from crowding the line of scrimmage because both players can make big moves as a runner and a receiver.
How good can Miami’s offense be? It starts with the return of Tannehill and the play of the offensive line. With the talent added this off-season there is no reason to believe that Gase finally has the pieces for his chess table. They just need to perform their jobs and execute the play design. If that happens, this could be the best offense in a decade plus.