Will Dolphin offense be like McDaniel’s? Slowik answers. 10 nuggets from coaches

Miami Dolphins admin September 10, 2026 0 Comments

Will Dolphin offense be like McDaniel’s? Slowik answers. 10 nuggets from coaches

Ten nuggets from our first regular-season session with five Dolphins assistant coaches:

▪ Yes, the Dolphins offense under Bobby Slowik will, in many ways, look similar to Mike McDaniel’s offense, considering they worked together and come from similar offensive backgrounds. But it’s not going to be identical.

Slowik offered insight on that on Thursday:

“Starting off, me and Mike are pretty similar as far as people from Kyle [Shanahan’s coaching] tree and the Mike Shanahan tree. We are pretty close to that. We have our own ways of doing it but see the game in a similar way.

“As far as what to expect to see us do, a lot of core components will be the same. When watching an opponent and [identifying] things you want to attack, even though we are trained to look for things and diagnose the same way, how you go about attacking is different from individual to individual.

“I’ll attack different from Mike… and Sean McVay.. And Matt LaFleur… We are very similar and very different.”

Bottom line?

“There are a lot of things that are going to be the same and a lot of things that are very much different,” Slowik said.

Slowik added, this too: One “of the things I’m huge on is style of play – and it’s a huge deal to [Jeff Hafley, too]. We want to play with high effort. We are going to play physical. And we are going to make sure we are held to a high standard in that regard.”

Like any offensive coordinator, he said: “We want to keep the defense off balance.”

Slowik, 39, has two years of experience as an NFL offensive coordinator, with Houston in 2023 and 2024. He was the Dolphins’ passing game coordinator last season.

▪ Slowik, on what has stuck him about quarterback Malik Willis: “I’ve been impressed by his pocket work and footwork. He does a good job navigating the subtle movements to see a window and see if it opens. When his feet are in a good place, he throws the ball really well.”

And this: “I’ve heard he is fast. That guy is fast. He can fly.” He said his speed is similar to the fastest players on the team, including De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright and Ethan Bonner.

▪ No team in the league has a younger secondary than the Dolphins. So will coaches be slightly more tolerant of mistakes, considering the inexperience?

“When it comes to youth, are there going to be growing pains? Sure,” defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said. “There are growing pains for everybody. We are never going to make an excuse and use youth as an excuse.”

The Dolphins repeatedly have emphasized the importance of communication among their young defenders.

One factor that’s helpful: The key young back seven defenders – Jacob Rodriguez, Chris Johnson, Michael Taaffe, Jason Marshall Jr., Dante Trader – are very mature for their years.

Duggan said Rodriguez has “taken ownership” of the green-dot role (the player who relays the defensive play call) and that Rodriguez and Jeff Hafley have worked on their communication all week. Hafley will make the team’s defensive calls and relay them to Rodriguez, who will convey it to teammates.

▪ Receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said “it’s a huge testament” to receiver Chris Bell that he’s ready for the opener after last November’s ACL injury.

“When we got him, my understanding was it was going to be a little later – maybe [after] the bye week” in Week 6. “He’s up to the point where he’s so talented you have to put him on the field. It’s going to be a challenge this year with a lot of young guys, but we’re ready to accept that challenge.”

▪ Tolbert was asked if Caleb Douglas is showing the type of consistency that coaches want.

“All of the rookies are battling inconsistencies,” he said. “Caleb is working really, really hard. He has the ‘it’ factor, has some wiggle, has some speed. He can make plays with the frame of his body.

“He has some of those things we really liked in the draft process. We wish he could catch everything and [do] every assignment correctly, but the fact is none of the rookies will do that. He’s come along really, really well. We like where he is.”

▪ Hafley said safeties Zayne Anderson, Trader and Taaffe “are really good communicators.”

Duggan’s scouting report on each:

“Dante has [good] body control, is really poised. You never see him panic in coverage, whether in zone and… when he’s asked to play man. He has a good ability to play physical with tight ends. He has the athleticism matching up with slot [receivers].

“Zayne’s ability in the deep part of the field is good; he covers some ground. Has really good ball skills.

“Taaffe is a really smart player, puts himself in really good spots, is very rarely out of position. He does a good job continuing to learn from mistakes.”

▪ Hafley (and Duggan) played a lot of zone in Green Bay, and Duggan said the size of the Dolphins cornerbacks — (Chris Johnson and Jason Marshall are 6-0 and JuJu Brents 6-3) — “helps in zone because you can cover more length. [But] we are always going to adapt to our personnel.”

▪ It was interesting that Duggan said that linebacker Willie Gay Jr. plays football the way the Dolphins want it played.

“He plays to the whistle, plays 100 mph,” Duggan said. “Even if he makes a mistake, he does it full speed. Always in a good mood. He brings people up. When you see Willie in practice, he makes your day.”

▪ Defensive backs coach Ryan Downard said rookie Chris Johnson “is one of the few guys I’ve seen who can flex inside and outside. Sometimes that’s stressful on players. It takes a special type of talent to do both. He’s done a good job at that. He has really good movement skills, tenacity, good ball skills, instincts.”

▪ Of the seven players claimed by the Dolphins claimed off waivers a day after the cut down to 53, several are expected to have special team roles, including receiver Ryan Miller. “He can play a lot of areas,” special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said.

Miller’s special teams acumen leaves the Dolphins with an interesting decision about whether to keep six receivers active on game days or whether to make Jalen Tolbert or Kevin Coleman Jr. a healthy scratch.

One factor to consider: Coleman is the backup punter returner, behind Malik Washington.

New safety Jason Wood, cornerback Marcellas Dial and Reese Taylor also have played on special teams before. Taylor also is the Dolphins’ backup nickel cornerback, behind Chris Johnson.