The NFL offseason hasn’t yet reached minicamp season, but coaches are already evaluating their teams’ progress. Voluntary workouts have provided an early look at where improvements are needed. For the Miami Dolphins, one of those areas appears to be the offense.
Head coach Jeff Hafley faces the challenge of rebuilding the Dolphins into playoff contenders. The team released Tua Tagovailoa and replaced him with another high-priced quarterback, Malik Willis, only to trade away Jaylen Waddle a few weeks later. On Tuesday, Hafley’s assessment of the offense suggested the team may have a long road ahead.
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When asked about the development of the offense, specifically the passing game, Hafley initially offered a generic response.
“A work in progress,” he said.
“It’s going to be a work in progress and it’s going to take a lot of reps.”
That’s to be expected at this stage of the offseason. However, Hafley’s emphasis on the amount of time and repetition required could signal that the unit still has significant ground to cover.
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No one expects an offense to be in midseason form during voluntary workouts. However, hearing that it will take considerable time for the passing game to come together isn’t exactly an encouraging sign. These are professional football players, and by this phase of the offseason, teams generally want to see foundational progress taking shape. Ideally, a head coach’s comments would reflect that.
You might expect a more confident assessment. Perhaps there’s not much to read into at this point. After all, if anyone has the most faith in Willis, it’s Hafley. He worked closely with the quarterback in Green Bay and personally identified him as the player he wanted to lead Miami’s offense.
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Still, “I think it’s improving” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. While it’s far too early to draw definitive conclusions, it’s not too early to start reading the tea leaves. The good news for Miami is that the team still has an entire summer and preseason to continue developing chemistry and consistency.
Expectations should remain modest for the Dolphins. After reshaping much of the roster, the franchise is effectively starting from scratch. Even so, Miami fans would likely like to see their highly paid quarterback elevate those around him and help create an exciting offense despite the challenges of a major rebuild.
