The Miami Dolphins found their best offensive rhythm of the season in Week 7, and Greg Dulcich was right in the middle of it.
Miami put up 28 points against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, its highest scoring output of the year, and while Ollie Gordon II, Malik Willis, and returning wideout Caleb Douglas all chipped in, the passing game took on a different edge once Dulcich became a featured piece. The tight end finished with five catches for 86 yards, good for a 17.2 yards-per-catch average, and that kind of production is exactly what the Dolphins need to keep chasing.
Dulcich got involved immediately. On the Dolphins’ opening drive, Willis connected with him for 32 yards on first down, moving the ball to the Jets’ 36.
On the next drive, Dulcich hauled in an 11-yard gain that again put Miami at the Jets’ 36. Two plays later, he was part of a 12-yard completion that got the Dolphins to the Jets’ 24.
That early usage mattered. Dulcich was part of the receptions on Miami’s first three touchdown drives, and the offense looked more dangerous when he was built into the plan.
The contrast was obvious in the second half, when Miami punted three straight times and Dulcich didn’t see a target. He also didn’t get a look on either of the Dolphins’ first-half punts.
It was easily Dulcich’s strongest showing of the season. Before Week 7, he had posted 37 yards in Week 5 and 55 yards in Week 3.
Against the Bengals in Week 5, he was targeted five times in a game Miami lost by seven. Against the Vikings, he wasn’t targeted at all.
The Jets changed the game after halftime by bringing more blitz pressure, which forced Miami to keep Dulcich in as a blocker more often. When he did release into routes, New York kept him in check, but Willis still found room to work, picking apart the defense with rookie receivers Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas.
Dulcich may not profile as an elite tight end, but the numbers and the usage both point in the same direction: when he’s part of the passing game, Miami’s offense looks sharper. The Dolphins need to keep him central to the scheme, and they need to get him under contract beyond this season.
In Other News...
Austin Jackson Just Gave Dolphins Fans A New Offensive Line Debate
Austin Jackson got another look at right tackle in Week 7, and for a night at least, he gave the Dolphins something closer to stability than drama. After a season of uneven stretches, Jackson held up adequately in pass protection and fit into an offensive line performance that gave Miami room to breathe, especially with the unit working in sync enough to keep the pocket from collapsing around the offense.
The bigger takeaway may be what that means for a position that has been a talking point for much of the season. Jacksons work helped steady a side of the line facing a rookie edge threat, and the overall blocking had enough pop to support a productive ground game, with Miami leaning on balance in a way it has wanted more often. For a team trying to find a permanent answer up front, one cleaner outing only sharpens the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Have Finally Found A Coach Worth Trusting
Jeff Hafleys first season in Miami has already given the Dolphins something they badly needed, a little proof that the reset might be headed in the right direction. After the team picked up its first win of the season against the New York Jets, NFL insider Peter Schrager offered a pointed endorsement of the first-year coach, crediting Hafley for keeping a young roster competitive even as the organization works through a rebuilding phase.
For a franchise that has spent too much time searching for steadiness, that kind of early confidence matters. The Dolphins are trying to build something sustainable, and the next chance to keep it moving comes in Week 8 at home against the New England Patriots. How Miami handles the stretch ahead will say plenty about whether this start was a one-off or the beginning of a much more stable run. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Got A QB Spark But The Bigger Question Just Changed
A new quarterback spark arrived in Miami in Week 8, and it came at a time when the Dolphins badly needed something to stabilize a season that had been drifting. Malik Willis stepped in and gave the offense a cleaner rhythm than it had shown for much of the year, enough to put Miami back in the win column and give the roster a little breathing room as the season moves deeper into the schedule.
The larger question now is what comes next for a team that has been searching for answers under center and still has to decide what kind of trajectory this season can realistically have. Week 8s quarterback chatter across the league only sharpened that conversation, because the Dolphins suddenly have a live option to evaluate while other clubs keep sorting through injured starters, uneven play and backup plans that are working better than expected. [Read more 🡒]