MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa isn’t sure what to expect from Carolina’s defense Sunday considering star wide receiver Tyreek Hill is out with a season-ending left knee injury.
Typically, defenses played the two-high safety shell scheme which keeps both safeties deep to guard against deep passes to Hill or fellow speed-burning wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
But there’s a school of thought the Dolphins will rely more on the run with Hill sidelined which could mean defenses will drop a safety down and play an eight-man front to stop the run.
Tagovailoa could see the Panthers going either way.
“We’ve had games where (Waddle) was out and only (Hill) was in; we’ve had games where (Hill) was out and only (Waddle) was in,” Tagovailoa said.
“Teams have gone to their normal base defense of what they would normally run from what we’ve seen on film, but I don’t know. That’s the beauty of football. We’ll see on Sunday what they want to do defensively, if they do want to keep a shell or if they want to fit the box and just tell us, ‘Hey, pass the ball on us,’ then we’ll adjust accordingly.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel successfully utilized a dink-and-dunk passing game last year when defenses shut down the deep passing game. The Dolphins finished 6-3 after starting 2-6.
The Dolphins could also utilize a mid-range passing game with 6-foot-6 tight end Darren Waller as a centerpiece with major contributions from running back De’Von Achane and Waddle, who isn’t afraid to go over the middle and risk taking a big hit.
Whatever the Dolphins choose as their bread and butter offense it’s a good bet that McDaniel will try some deep passes with Waddle, who remains a dangerous deep threat and was the team’s leading deep threat in 2020 and 2021, his seasons prior to Hill being acquired in 2022.
Injury update
The Dolphins will likely be without cornerbacks Storm Duck (ankle) and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (knee) for the Panthers game. Carolina will likely be without running back Chuba Hubbard (calf), their leading rusher with 217 yards rushing (4.1 yards per carry). The final injury report comes out around 4 p.m. Friday.
McDaniel said sometimes teams could have little-known backups whose name becomes familiar because of his success.
“Hopefully we’re not overly familiar with anybody’s name,” McDaniel said.
Wilkins return doesn’t seem imminent
McDaniel was asked whether the Dolphins, led by general manager Chris Grier, have interest in defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the former Dolphins first-round pick who is a free agent after being released by Las Vegas in a dispute over his recovery from a foot injury.
“Doors are always open,” McDaniel said. “Very happy with the progression of what we need from our young guys. I’m focused on the Panthers and our own guys specifically, but Chris is always at work and there’s never anything that’s closed. But for me, I’m better suited for Panthers and our own player topics.”
Achane has slightly increased workload already
Achane, who had 1,499 yards from scrimmage last season (907 yards rushing, 592 yards receiving), figures to take on a larger role in the offense with Hill sidelined.
But the Dolphins must be mindful of the 5-foot-9, 191-pound Achane’s workload for the next 14 games.
Achane has 69 touches (50 carries, 19 receptions) through four games, an average of 17.3 touches per game. Last season he had 281 touches in 17 games (203 carries, 78 receptions), an average of 16.3 touches per game.
McDaniel likes what he’s seeing from Achane through four games, and particularly in last week’s 27-21 win over the New York Jets. Achane had 101 yards from scrimmage – a season-best 99 yards rushing on a season-best 20 carries with one touchdown, and one reception for two yards.
“He really was on his tracks and really coming out of the blocks at the snap, putting pressure on all players in the front and didn’t hesitate,” McDaniel said. “You can tell he was seeing the game or seeing the defense very well.”
As for the specific breakdown of Achane’s touches this season, he enters Sunday’s game with 50 carries for 246 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and one touchdown, and 19 receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
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Tyreek Hill visits
Hill, who had knee surgery to repair a dislocated knee and ACL damage, among other things, apparently isn’t homebound as he recovers.
“Tyreek was in the building today,” McDaniel said.
Hill, who is out for the season, visited during a team meeting.
“It was awesome,” McDaniel said. “It was a real moment where I knew the time he’d probably be in the building and thankfully I’m good on my toes and it was right during the team meeting. He made an entrance that I hadn’t given the team a heads-up to.”
McDaniel said there was definitely an “uptick” when Hill was there. He said Hill was “eager to let his teammates know he missed them.”
“It was a really good moment for guys that spend their waking lives togteher and something that was really cool to see for Tyreek and for the team,’ McDaniel said.
Could we see a 70-yard field goal soon?
Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman said he’s unsure of the realistic limit on field goals nowadays but he didn’t rule out seeing a 70-yarder soon. The NFL record is 66 yards by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker in 2021, which happened at Detroit’s Ford Field, a domed stadium. Tampa Bay’s Chase McLaughlin hit a 65-yarder last week at the Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, an outdoor facility.
Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson has a career best of 53 yards, that coming in 2022 when he was with Jacksonville. Patterson hit from 60 yards in pregame warmups last week.
“You see some of these guys that are trying 70-yarders, longer 60-some yards,” Aukerman said, later adding. “Usually people hit longer field goals inside, now people are trying them (outside). Who knows what could happen? Again, all these guys working with personal trainers or with the strength staff, they’re just getting stronger and their technique has continued to get better because they’re working with personal kicking and punting guys, gurus, and just working with us, too. It’s just a lot of different things that could happen.”
This story will be updated.
