3 areas Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel must improve on this season

1. Mike McDaniel needs to use his tight ends

Finally, McDaniel has his best tight end on the roster. Mike Gesicki was a great pass-catching tight end, but his game ended there. He wasn't much of a blocker, and as a result, the Dolphins didn't use him as much as they should have.

Jonnu Smith is not Gesicki. He is a good pass-catcher and can be a solid blocker. He is as good as Durham Smythe as a blocker and better as a pass-catcher. In 2024, Mike McDaniel needs to realize that Smith is a weapon that expands his offense, makes it better, and gives him more options. Somehow, McDaniel needs to find a way to use him.

Nothing would serve the Dolphins offense better than seeing Smith on a delayed route. McDaniel would also be smart to use Hill and Waddle to draw coverages downfield and then run Smith up the middle with linebacker coverage. It's an easy throw for Tua.

If the Dolphins want to be better offensively, it won't come by getting the ball in Hill's hands or Waddle's hands more often. It will come by getting the tight end involved more in the passing game. Through his two seasons as a head coach, opposing teams don't care about the tight end because McDaniel rarely uses them. It's leaving a player on the field to do nothing more than provide extra protection.

Here is the rub: If McDaniel feels it necessary to keep his TE blocking, then he doesn't have the right offensive tackles on his line. Using the TE to block in the run game? Perfect. Now, get him involved in the passing game as well.