Tyreek Hill and Darren Waller Headline Start of Dolphins Training Camp

The Miami Dolphins enter 2025 training camp with major questions surrounding the return of TE Darren Waller.

Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tight end Darren Waller on the sideline against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins have had a tumultuous offseason to say the least, but now they are back and training camp and looking to get on track for the 2025 season. There are a lot of questions they need to answer, or a lot of changes may be coming to Miami in 2026. These are the storylines to watch on South Beach this summer. 

1. The RB2 Battle: Ollie Gordon II Vs. Jaylen Wright

De'Von Achane is going to be the top back on this team; however, the RB2 job is very much up in the air. There is also a decent chance that the RB2 on this team does not play a traditional role. He could end up earning a lot of early down work and the bulk of the goal-line opportunities. While Alexander Mattison is on this roster, we don't view him as a legitimate option for this role. This battle will be between rookie Ollie Gordon II and second-year back Jaylen Wright. Wright was a strong prospect, but Gordon II is an intriguing story. He was the best back in college football just two seasons ago before falling off a cliff in 2024. If he can bounce back this season, he could be a tremendous sleeper pick in fantasy football.

In 2023, Gordon II rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns. Wright has never come close to posting numbers like that, and didn't show a whole lot last season. You can make the case that both backs were held back by bad offensive line play last season. This is a battle to watch closely because if one of them can pull away with the job, they could have standalone value even with the undersized Achane healthy.   

Ollie Gordon II’s just one season removed from 2,062 yards and 22 TD’s..

➖Age: 21 Years Old (Early Declare)
➖Size: 6’2, 225 lbs

In 2023, Gordon won the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nations BEST Running Back

Since 2023:

➖108 Missed Tackles Forced
➖129 1st Downs pic.twitter.com/tBTMXhCbMP

— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 18, 2025

2. Is Tyreek Hill Still Elite?

Hill has been all over the place this offseason. He's thrown his team under the bus, demanded a trade, and now he's repenting and trying to be a good teammate. This comes after a season of massive decline. In 2023, he caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 TDs in 16 games to a line of 81-959-6 last year.

Some of that can be blamed on game plan, while others point to a wrist injury; nevertheless, he looked worse on film as well. The speedy receiver still looked fast, but struggled to catch the ball more than we've seen in the past. We need to watch to see if he returns to his high-end WR1 form or if last season was a sign of things to come for the embattled wideout.  

3. Can Darren Waller Replace Jonnu Smith?

Jonnu Smith had a monster year for the Dolphins last year, catching 88 passes for 884 yards and eight TDs, and in turn, they shipped him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their Plan B was to trade for the retired Darren Waller. Waller had his moment as an outstanding pass-catching tight end, but he peaked in 2020 and hasn't seen an NFL field since 2023. If he does end up slotting into the Smith role, he could be fantasy gold. If he doesn't have anything left in the tank, then all of a sudden, there are a lot of targets to spread around to Achane, Hill, and Jaylen Waddle.