Older Miami Dolphins fans often talk about the days gone by. Those Larry Csonka days of bruising runners and mauling offensive linemen. The Dolphins were once mean.
Dan Marino changed Don Shula in a good way, but Miami became a passing team. They didn't win a Super Bowl. Jon-Eric Sullivan is showing a Don Shula-esque side to his roster makeover. He is building an offense that is everything Mike McDaniel wasn't.
When the Dolphins took Ohio State TE Will Kacmarek, they exposed what their offense is going to look like. Fans get ready, the Dolphins are now a running team.
The Miami Dolphins doubled down on the run game with 2026 draft selections
Sullivan should have gotten De'Von Achane under an extension before the draft began. His drafting of Kadyn Proctor and Kacmarek is going to make him one of the best RBs in the NFL, not that he isn't already.
With Patrick Paul on the left side and Aaron Brewer at center, the Dolphins' top three linemen are physical movers. Sullivan just needs to figure out what he will do at guard.
Austin Jackson or Proctor will start at guard this year, but if we are honest with ourselves, Proctor will start at right tackle while Jackson rehabs on IR at some point. The Dolphins need to find another lineman.
There is no question which direction the Dolphins have now turned offensively. The pass will no longer set up the run; the run will dictate the momentum of the game, the physicality of the game, and the passing game will be set up by how well Miami can move the ball on the ground.
With Malik Willis' ability to run, Achane's vision, and two bruising blockers to carve out lanes, Miami will be working toward dictating the terms of how these games will be played.
Lost in all of this is that these players are mentally tough. They are not worried about weather, or snow, or temperatures below 40 degrees. They want it.
The Dolphins couldn't win relying on their passing game, no matter how good Achane is. They were a pass-first team because Tua Tagovailoa wasn't a QB that was going to keep defenses guessing.
Willis creates defensive decisions and if they guess wrong, they will pay for it.