Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Waller, Run Game, Julian Hill, and More

What's the outlook for the running game? Who were the standouts of the joint practices? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins topics

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller | Alain Poupart/Miami Dolphins On SI

Third and final part of a Miami Dolphins On SI weekend mailbag:

From Ehxxalt:

Have you seen any changes to the way McDaniel and crew conduct practices vs. past seasons?

Hmm, I’ve been asked this question before and I’m not sure I see anything of note, other than the fact the practices started earlier this summer. The pace is very crisp, with very little wasted time before drills. But that’s about it.

From josh:

It was great hearing you on Out to Pasture. Nice to get a little of your background in the early days. I don’t always agree with some things, but I respect the way you go about business and will actually answer people.

Hey Josh, thanks for the note. Yes, it was nice to join Joe Rose and Kim Bokamper on the Out to Pasture Podcast, though I guess that officially means I’m old, right? LOL. And, yes, I believe in engaging with fans with the full understanding I’m not always right and it’s good if folks challenge me or express their disagreement — so long as it’s done respectfully.

JULIAN HILL, RUN BLOCKING AND MORE

Miami Dolphins tight end Julian Hill (89) misses a pass during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium last season. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

From NY – Fins Up:

Julian Hill has been mentioned numerous times as the strongest player on the Dolphins. With all his drops, etc. at TE,  why not ask him to bulk up some more from 250 lbs. and convert him to an OT ? He’s VERY athletic & strong. More $$$ in it for him as an OT than 3rd string TE.

I get the idea, but it’s not necessarily that simple. While Hill has good blocking skills at tight end and has good size for the position at 6-4, 251, that’s a long way from tackle size and I’m not sure I see his frame allowing him to get close to tackle size. And that’s not even mentioning all the new techniques he’d have to learn. Bottom line, I like the thought, but don’t see as realistic.

From Tim Gore:

Alain, based on what you've witnessed personally at practice, is this season playing for a high draft pick in the ‘26 draft? I just need to know if my Sundays will be free through January.

Hey Tim, no, in no way, shape or form is the season devoted to be positioned for the 2026 draft. The Dolphins have enough talent to make a run for the playoffs based on the top of their roster, though they are operating with perhaps a smaller margin for error than a lot of the top teams.

From Editor do Phinsverso:

How much has the run block really improved? Do you feel we'll focus more on the running offense this year?

The regular season will tell us whether the run blocking is any better, though there’s reason for optimism because the upside at guard with James Daniels and Jonah Savaiinaea is much higher than it was last season. As for the focus being more on the running game, I’ll believe that when I see it.

From Ricky Fontaine:

Who are your starting corners week 1?

Hey Ricky, I think Storm Duck is pretty solid as one of the starters and it’s gone back and forth for the other spot. I thought Ethan Bonner really was making a move in the last week or so, but he sustained an injury against Detroit that we can only hope isn’t significant at all. Kendall Sheffield is sound, but I question how he’ll do against faster receivers and Jack Jones is a wild card with a very high ceiling for making plays but also a higher likelihood of getting burned by double moves. I’ll go ahead and stick with Bonner for now assuming his injury isn’t serious.

From Greenview Construction:

Can we please get a tally of all the joint practice winners and losers.

Hmm, that’s kind of a broad question. I’m assuming you mean individual players. On the defensive side, I’d point out as guys who consistently looked good LB Jordyn Brooks, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick and DT Kenneth Grant. On offense, nobody was consistently good, to be honest. Some players had their moments, but the Dolphins had two really bad offensive practices, the one against the Bears and the first against the Lions.

SIZING UP THE WIDE RECEIVERS

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) catches the football during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

From Juan Camacho:

Do you ever feel Dolphins got it backwards on the WR corps (Paying a lot for small/shifty receivers)? From watching NE’s history seems that is better to pay Dawgs at WR, and complement them with shifty slots (like Edelman/Amendola). I feel it’s easier to find good-ish small guys.

Hey Juan, your point has some merit, but I don’t think it’s fair to call Hill and Waddle “small/shifty receivers.” We’re talking about two dynamic playmakers who can go the distance on any play, something Edelman/Amendola never could do. Now, we certainly can debate having prioritize speedy wide receivers over maybe the offensive line, specifically when it comes to the 2021 draft when the Dolphins selected Waddle over Penei Sewell, but that’s a different conversation.

From Blackbeard Bees:

Do you honestly feel there's been a noticeable culture change or just smoke and mirrors again?

I have to answer this by saying I’m not big on this idea of “culture,” which somehow always comes up when a season goes sideways. What I can say is that the Dolphins moved on from a couple of me-first players this year and maybe that can help in some small way, but I still think the whole “culture” thing is overblown.

From ChrisS:

Who do you think ends up rb2 behind Achane with Mattison out?

Hey Chris, I still Jaylen Wright is going to get the nod at the start of the regular season, even though this summer the most effective running back outside of De’Von Achane (excluding Mattison) has been Gordon — and it’s not close.

From Double Dee:

What’s the ceiling of this team? What would be the downfall of the team?

The ceiling as I look at the Dolphins roster would be something like an 11-6 record if everything goes right and maybe they can win a playoff game. The downfall of the team, excluding the obvious injury angle, would be the pass rush not producing and exposing what right now is a pretty lackluster secondary.

From Tommy Sheffler:

Do you think the McDaniel offense is too complex? Players seem like they take at least a year to grasp the offense and doesn’t seem like players can come in off the street and contribute much. Not good especially considering injuries.

Hey Tommy, like “culture change,” I’m not a very big believer in the notion of an offense being too complicated for somebody to learn. You talk to any receiver coming over from another team and they all talk about “similar concepts but different terminology.” Sure, this offense might be more complicated than most, but not to the extent where it requires a degree in rocket science to figure it out.

From yolli71:

Did you see the Warren Sharp piece on Miami's short-yardage struggles? Do you know if Miami has any staff that does this type of analytics?

I caught a clip of Sharp talking about his analytics research and I will tell you the Dolphins are very big believers in analytics, so I’m sure they have every single solitary angle covered when it comes to that.

From Jeff:

I saw the anonymous quote in Scott's article regarding  and I just have to ask your thoughts regarding the question posed. The quote: "Has Miami ever won where their run game is getting killed, they can't hit play-action stuff and it's just time for Tua to sling the ball?" What moments come to mind in response to that question? Will we ever see a game where the ball needs to "fly to survive" like the Ravens game in 2022? In your opinion, what is the reason that causes that team and that moment in 2022 not to be the norm? Were long passes downfield open in 2024?

Hey Jeff, that Ravens game in 2022 featured the worst performance by a secondary I’ve ever witnessed — even worse than what I saw from the Dolphins at the start of the 2019 season when they gave up 59 points to Baltimore and then 43 to New England and had nobody covered in the secondary. You remember the long touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill where nobody covered him and he hit the deuces sign as he jogged into the end zone? So that was an outlier. The Dolphins also had a great passing outing in the 2023 opener against the Chargers when they went crazy with the cheat motion, Tyreek and Waddle ran loose in the secondary pretty much all game, and Tua was getting them the ball on those few occasions when they weren’t. Opponents have learned lessons from those two games and made it more difficult for the Dolphins to chuck it all afternoon, though there’s no reason we can’t have that kind of game again. But there’s no reason to count on it.

From Toby Marmorino:

Hey Poup, why do I get a sense of another OBJ situation with Waller? He had many OTAs and minicamps to get into so-called football shape, now they're blaming it on how to fit him in their practice schedule. Doesn't make sense. Keep up the good work.

Hey Toby, thanks. For the record, Waller still was retired through the offseason program, so he didn’t have that. But he was acquired on July 1, so there has been plenty of time since then and I do find it weird that he has yet to be activated from PUP. Mike McDaniel has said he doesn’t want Waller to go from retirement to a joint practice, so maybe this means he’ll be at practice this week and just sit out the joint practice against Jacksonville on Thursday if McDaniel still feels he isn’t ready. But, yeah, it’s a bit weird to me as well and if he doesn’t practice this week, then I’ll be getting those OBJ vibes myself.