Bobby Slowik isn’t planning on tearing the Miami Dolphins offense down to the studs and rebuilding it from scratch. The team’s new offensive coordinator, who spent last season as its senior passing game coordinator, says his unit won’t look too different than it did during Mike McDaniel’s time as head coach.
“We’re all from the same [coaching] tree,” Slowik told reporters Wednesday. “The way I like to frame it is very similar to like the bones are the same, the roots are the same, but all the trees grow different. A lot of that has to do with the players you have on any given team, which changes year to year. I think a lot of people don’t realize how much even within a specific offense, your offense morphs and changes year to year, and that’s dependent on the people you have on that team at that time.
“I believe in running the ball, believe strongly in running the ball. I think most of the successful teams in the NFL these days run the ball really well at a high clip and really build it from there as far as you got to win in the trenches. I like keeping the defense off balance. It’s probably my No. 1 thing as far as what I look for as a play caller, while making sure I marry it to who we have on the team. Then in the pass game, we’re all about precision and detail.”
While new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has a lot of work to do to get the team back on track, there’s a good chance much of the Miami offense will still look the same. The team has a star running back in De’Von Achane, a top wide receiver in Jaylen Waddle, and at least a couple of starting offensive linemen already in place with Patrick Paul at left tackle and Aaron Brewer at center.
Slowik doesn’t want to change too much about the Dolphins run game, which has included fullback Alec Ingold for the last four years.
“Yeah, we have Alec (Ingold) on the roster, and I would love if Alec was able to stay here,” Slowik said. “I think that’d be awesome. I think he’s a fantastic leader. I’ve used a fullback before. I think it’s powerful within the offense. I don’t think it’s required. I think you just need to make sure you have good players and Alec is a good player. So obviously having him here would be fantastic.”
The big question, however, is what the Dolphins will do at quarterback. While Slowik said that Tua Tagovailoa could “absolutely bounce back” from his rough 2025 season, it’d be a surprise if the quarterback is still in Miami by the end of the offseason. The only other Dolphins passers under contract for the 2026 season are Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins offense will have ‘same bones, same roots’ under Bobby Slowik
Reporting by Adam Stites, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
