Dolphins Offensive Thoughts Heading Into the 2021 Season

We're now only a few days away from the start of the 2021 regular season for the Miami Dolphins, and there are just so many unknowns when it comes to that unit.

And that's despite the fact that the starting lineup — based on the Week 1 depth chart — very well might include nine players who were with the team last season: Tua Tagovailoa, Myles Gaskin, DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, Mike Gesicki, Jesse Davis, Robert Hunt, Michael Deiter and Solomon Kindley.

And that number will become 10 if Austin Jackson somehow ends up playing against the Patriots, which would leave Jaylen Waddle as the only newcomer in the starting lineup, again based on the depth chart.

So why so much mystery despite so many familiar faces?

Well, quite simply, for so many of those players, there was room for growth at the end of last year, and how much growth we see in 2021 will be the biggest determining factor in the success of the offense.

-- Of course, it all starts with Tagovailoa, who indicated Wednesday that his biggest key against the Patriots was getting the ball out quickly. For the record, that was my exact comment earlier in the day during my regular appearance on the Big O radio show. This is how Tua will function at his best because it feeds into his strength as a distributor, as a point guard of sorts.

And before you say, "Well, duh!" Doesn't that apply to everybody? Well, no, it doesn't.

For example, Josh Allen is at his best when he can take his time to survey the field and use that cannon of an arm to sling the ball downfield. The same applies to Justin Herbert. Patrick Mahomes is at his best when he gets outside the pocket and starts improvising.

Tua, plain and simple, is at his best when he's throwing the ball quickly and making use of short- and intermediate-range accuracy.

-- The biggest question mark on offense obviously is the line, and that was before Jackson landing on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. And it's where the issue of growth comes into play because if Jackson, Hunt and Kindley all make a big jump in their second season, chances are the Dolphins will have a very good offensive line in 2021. But there's no guarantee that will happen, particularly based on what we saw in training camp and the preseason. On the contrary, we saw a group that was a bit shaky and that's a big concern going into a matchup against a New England team whose defense figures to be much improved.

-- For one thing, the Pats' run defense figures to be better and it would be foolish to think the Dolphins will rush for 250 yards, as they did in the teams' December matchup at Hard Rock Stadium. But that doesn't mean the Dolphins don't need some kind of production to keep the pass rush honest, even if the strength of the offense in 2021 absolutely needs to be the passing game.

-- Speaking of the passing game, don't sweat the expected absence of Adam Shaheen against the Patriots because the Dolphins have plenty of other options at tight end, starting obviously with Mike Gesicki.

-- Interesting to see Bill Belichick point out George Godsey as the Dolphins play-caller even while everybody on the Miami staff has refused to confirm which of the two co-offensive coordinators is the doing actually doing it. The fact that Godsey was in the press box in the preseason should have been a strong clue, never mind the fact he's got previous experience doing it from his time as OC in Houston in 2015-16. Bottom line, though, it doesn't matter who'll call the plays; the key will be executing them. And how well the Dolphins will be able to do that in 2021 is a mystery that will last beyond that first game, though we will get some sort of an indication with that first game.

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