Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Wallace missed the Miami Dolphins’ first preseason game and made his preseason debut for the organization in Week 2, recording zero catches on 17 snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Perhaps you could say it is encouraging that Wallace isn’t complaining and instead raving to the media about what formation the Dolphins are running in practice, but I’m more interested in what it could mean for their tight end usage.
Apparently Miami has — in New England Patriots fashion — been trotting out formation in Dolphins training camp that feature two tight ends. One is Dustin Keller and the other, the prototypical H-Back/tight end hybrid Charles Clay, are featured in a package that also includes Wallace, Brian Hartline and RB Lamar Miller. WR Brandon Gibson will alternate with Clay.
“It’s fun because all of our tight ends are really like hybrid tight ends,” Wallace said, via the Sun-Sentinel. “So anytime we have two of those guys in the game, it’s like we’re going five-wide. “Then (Miller), he’s talking about he’s going to take one of our spots at wide receiver, so you know he’s feeling good about his routes and the things he can bring to the table when he’s split out. So I think it’s very dangerous, and it’s fun. I think Ryan can see the field a lot better when all of us are spreading it out for him. He can just take his pick.”
Miami obviously saw the Patriots across the division make it work with wild two-TE sets, and perhaps this could open things up for Wallace. This is one of many ways I expect Miami to expand an offense that was quite conservative around rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill last season.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
