Back in 2022, Tyreek Hill coined the phrase, "getting drunk off the YAC." No, YAC isn't some new alcoholic beverage that the young and wealthy are promoting. Cheetah was actually talking about yards after the catch, and how then-Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had built his offense around it.
There are plenty of types of NFL offenses, whether it's a ground-and-pound, run-centric style or a vertical passing attack that tries to nuke the field with deep throws. Somewhere in between is what McDaniel — and his successor Bobby Slowik, who stayed behind after McDaniel's ousting — employ: a methodical offense that doesn't shy from the run game but also prioritizes getting receivers the ball in open space and letting them create.
At its best, the offense was a well-oiled machine. Tua Tagovailoa's superpower, so to speak, was being willing to accurately attack tiny windows, armed with the knowledge that Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle would be where they were supposed to be when the ball arrived. It eventually fell apart because of Tagovailoa's inability to consistently hit said windows, not because the offense's viability evaporated.
The Miami Dolphins are dropping hints that they're planning to feature a YAC offense in 2026
Gone are the days of Tagovailoa, Hill, and Waddle in the aqua and orange, but the show goes on. By all appearances, it will be the very same show, simply with a new cast.
There were 257 wide receivers or tight ends who finished with 10 or more targets in 2025. According to SIS, Theo Wease Jr. (11.9, first), Tutu Atwell (11.0, second), and Greg Dulcich (7.6, 14th) all finished in the top 25 in terms of yards after catch average. Malik Washington's 5.7 average finished 64th, which is still very respectable in such a large sample.
The takeaway to be gleaned from this is that, despite the unheralded nature of the group, there's clearly some juice to their game. For Wease and Atwell in particular, they benefit greatly from the tiny sample size their averages were drawn from. In any case, a player who can get open is what teams covet. Both these guys proved they can do it sometimes — Malik Willis and the Dolphins are going to need them to do it consistently.
When training camp opens up in a few weeks, all eyes will be on the receiving group. One can assume that if there's a lack of positive strides being taken, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will be dipping into the wide receiver well in August. With no shortage of veterans with name value looking for work, the pressure's on for those under contract right now.
They say pressure bursts pipes, but it also makes diamonds. Let's hope the Dolphins have one (or more) hiding in plain sight.
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