Play-caller
- Calls plays: Bobby Slowik (OC, promoted 2026-02 by Hafley) — confirmed: team site describes "new offensive coordinator and play caller Bobby Slowik" installing a Shanahan-family offense (miamidolphins.com 2026 coaching staff announcement + A to Z Sports, spring 2026, fetched 2026-07-07). Kevin Patullo (ex-PHI OC) hired as pass-game coordinator under him (miamidolphins.com) — an experienced staffer, and a residual mid-season risk if Slowik's install stalls.
- Tenure with team: 2nd year in building (senior pass-game coordinator 2025 under McDaniel, non-calling), 1st as OC · Prior relationship with QB1: none — Willis was in GB while Slowik was in HOU/MIA.
Last 3 play-calling stops (skip non-calling years — only two exist: HOU OC 2023–24; SF pass-game coordinator 2022 was non-calling; MIA 2025 non-calling):
| Stop (team, yrs) | PROE | Neutral pass% | Sec/play (neutral) | Motion% | PA% | 11 / 12 / 21% | Condensed% | RB tgt share | WR1 TS | Inside-10 pass% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU 2024 | +0.8% (9th in pass%) (4for4/optimusfantasy via search, fetched 2026-07-07) | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | 7th in NFL shift/motion (up from 14th in 2023) (NBC Sports/PFF via search) | 13th in NFL (same) | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED (Nico Collins missed time; TS high when active) | UNVERIFIED |
| HOU 2023 | ~+2% overall, +1% on 1st downs (Wk 11 on); spiked +7–8% DBOE early season (NBC Sports, Aug 2024, fetched 2026-07-07) | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | 14th in NFL (NBC Sports) | UNVERIFIED | 11 ~29% (among NFL's lowest) / — / 21 = 29%, 4th highest (NBC Sports) | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED |
| — (no third stop) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Read: Slowik is a Shanahan-tree caller — wide zone married to PA and heavy 21-personnel (29% in HOU 2023, 4th in NFL), slightly pass-over-expected but run-committed in structure; he was fired in HOU after the 2024 offense went predictable behind a bad OL (ESPN, Feb 2025). His stated 2026 identity: "I believe in running the football, skewing as close to fifty-fifty on first, second down as you can" (via CBS Sports Dolphins outlook, 2026, fetched 2026-07-07). Roster adjustment: Willis is a run-threat QB with 6 career starts and the WR room is the league's thinnest, so expect the run-heaviest version of his profile — zone runs, RPO, bootleg PA, screens — with Achane as the offense's engine. Year-1 install drag applies (methodology §9); McDaniel-era MIA tendencies (55.9% motion, 26.8% 21-personnel, 12.9% PA, 57.4% pass, 57.2 plays/gm — nflverse participation/FTN/pbp_summary 2025, pulled 2026-07-07) are void except as roster evidence (the FB/21-personnel bodies remain: FB DJ Herman listed on Ourlads, fetched 2026-07-07).
Scheme family
- Run scheme: wide/outside zone (Shanahan tree via Slowik SF 2017–22, HOU 2023–24; "West Coast offense with zone runs, play-action and RPOs" — CBS Sports Dolphins 2026 outlook) — RB fits: Achane is the prototype (one-cut, elite lateral burst; NFL-best 5.67 ypc in 2025 — NFL.com); Ollie Gordon II is the downhill/short-yardage complement; Jaylen Wright fits the zone track too.
- Pass-game family: Shanahan/McVay tree — PA + motion + condensed sets, YAC-engine intermediate throws, with an RPO/QB-run layer added for Willis. Implications: slot/YAC profiles (Malik Washington, Achane) gain; boundary iso volume is thin by design and by roster; aDOT mid-to-low; expect schemed/manufactured touches to be re-established from scratch under the new caller (all McDaniel-era designed-touch roles are void per methodology §2).
