Rookie WR Malik Washington could be Dolphins’ X-Factor in one department

Dolphins rookie receiver Malik Washington could bring one thing Mike McDaniel’s passing game fell short with in 2023.

Breaking news: The Miami Dolphins are loaded with offensive playmakers.

Okay, that’s not exactly amazing analysis. Between quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr., and running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, head coach and offensive shot-caller Mike McDaniel has as many weapons as anybody in the NFL.

That certainly manifested itself in the passing game in the 2023 season. Miami ranked second in the league behind the Minnesota Vikings in passing yards (4,698), fourth in air yards (2,423), third in yards after the catch (2,292), and fourth in receiving touchdowns (30).

Where the Dolphins weren’t quite as successful was when it was time to create yards after first contact. There, Miami’s targets ranked 22nd in the league with 713. To put that in context, the San Francisco 49ers ranked first in receiving yards after contact with 1,157. McDaniel, who was once Kyle Shanahan’s run game and offensive coordinator in San Francisco, probably looks at his old boss’s offense and would like some of that spice.

And with the selection of Virginia receiver Malik Washington in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, that spice could very well be on the menu. Last season, the 5-foot-8, 194-pound Washington caught 110 passes on 122 targets for 1,426 yards, 679 air yards, 707 yards after the catch… and 339 yards after contact, which ranked first among receivers in this draft class.

While Washington has enticing speed and quickness on the field, what sets him apart is his build and his mentality, which is much more like a running back’s. It’s in those contested situations where you see his desire to extend the play by any means necessary.

The question is how often Washington will see the field with both Hill and Waddle as the primary receivers. Last season, per Sports Info Solutions, the Dolphins lined up in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) on just 44% of their snaps, which ranked 30th in the NFL. They lined up in 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two receivers) 42% of the time, and that was the league’s highest rate. It’s probably a situational thing to start — perhaps on third down, when Miami’s use of 11 personnel shot up to 80%.

However it happens, both player and coach are aware of the potential advantages of Washington’s addition.

“I think he is competing,” McDaniel said in late April. “The part of Malik that we like the most is there are some professional football players in that room that he’s going to have to compete against to get opportunities. We identified him as a person and an athlete that would be up for the challenge and that’s a tall task. So you know that when you’re looking at these guys and that’s one of the reasons we felt he was a fit to be here.”

For Washington, it’s all about his grit.

“Some of that stuff you can’t cultivate, you have to be born with it. You have to be born with a certain mindset, a certain toughness, and I feel like ever since I started playing football, that’s just how I played. That’s how I play the game, that’s how I see the game. It’s going to be hard-nosed. You’re going to have to stick your nose in there and get dirty sometimes.

“[In] traffic, there’s going to be linebackers, corners and safeties in play when you’re running your routes and catching the ball, just being ready for that. I think it’s a since of urgency you have to have. You have to have some awareness to know where guys are coming from, but that toughness is going to shine through once you catch that ball, once you’re going over the middle. That’s something that’s got to be huge in my game.”

Huge in college, and it could be a major deal in the Dolphins’ passing game in 2024.