Frank Smith on Dolphins offense: ‘Right now we’re starting over’

Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith met with the media on Wednesday to discuss the team’s preparations for 2025.

The Miami Dolphins continue to work their way through the offseason training program, with organized team activities starting next week. On Wednesday, the team gave the media a chance to speak with the coordinators, including offensive coordinator Frank Smith. As the team looks to prepare for 2025, Smith discussed putting 2024 behind them and how they can be a better offense this year.

A year after leading the league as the top offensive unit, Miami finished 18th in total offense in 2024. They were 15th in passing offense, 21st in rushing offense, and 22nd in scoring offense. The Dolphins dropped from 29.2 points per game in 2023 to just 20.3 in 2024.

“I think the result of the season was disappointing for where we wanted to go,” Smith said of analyzing the offensive performance in 2024. “There’s positives littered throughout, but I think ultimately when you look at the past you really study it, look at it and use as far as each present day as your motivation. I think for us right now we’re starting over and basically going back to the basics and making sure we know them inside and out to start a good season.”

Miami’s potent offensive attack in 2023 was built on timing patterns in the passing game, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa anticipating the moves wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle would make as they ran their routes. The Dolphins were able to get the ball into the hands of their top offensive weapons throughout the 2023 season, but struggled with timing, precision, and route running.

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Smith was asked about the route running struggles in 2024, and how he thinks the team can improve it in 2025. “I think ultimately as we had guys coming in and out of the lineup, I think that this year we’re looking to make sure we can maintain the consistency, similar things we did in 2023,” he replied. “Ultimately for us it’s making sure we get the continuity with the guys, for everyone being on the same page with our expectations for fundamentals and techniques so that way we can really use the offseason to build to get ourselves ready for the season.”

How is the team progressing in their reset for this upcoming season? “I would say right now it’s going great,” Smith stated. “Guys are really investing the time and using all of the resources they have. So far we are real pleased and we are looking forward to finishing this week and getting into OTAs.”

Smith also looks to the offseason to provide a chance to work on rotations and use depth players. “In the offseason it’s kind of realistic to how the season will go because each week there are variables with the personnel,” he explained. “So it allows guys to do things and expand what they in season maybe wouldn’t get as many reps at so they can bank it now and use it later through training camp and all that. That’s what the offseason allows us, is to work variables with different guys and see whatever we can do.”

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Hill was a focal point of the media’s discussion with Smith, in part because Hill was not as much a focal point of the offense in 2024. The coach explained, “I think it’s a guy who is extremely motivated to get better each day and to be a positive impact on the offense and team. He’s got energy every day, he’s working through his process. He’s been great so far through the offseason.”

The 2024 season ended with Hill seeming to express a desire to leave Miami, though those comments have been walked back throughout the offseason. Asked if Hill has shown he wants to continue to play for the Dolphins, Smith answered, “Yeah, and I think so far our buy-in with the guys and everyone collectively and trying to use the way last season went as our motivation to make sure we maximize each day. You don’t look forward, you don’t look to the past; just say, what do I need to get done right now, and I think Tyreek and all of the guys are really embracing that.”

The receiver, however, is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a wrist injury, a repair that included inserting screws into this wrist in February and a second procedure earlier this month to remove them. “I don’t know if there are really timelines to everything,” Smith said of when Hill might get back on the practice field. “We just basically are making sure that we get everything one day at a time, maximize it, so when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go.”

Miami added wide receiver Nik Westbrook-Ikhine in free agency this year, signing a third option to play behind Hill and Waddle. Of his initial impression of Westbrook-Ikhine, Smith stated, “I think ultimately it goes to who he is as a man, and you can see it’s a very detailed, very process-oriented guy. He’s going to be extremely reliable. I think ultimately if you talk to the guys that knew him in Tennessee and our exposure so far has been consistent work ethic. I think that’s ultimately where he puts himself in position to be successful is because he really is a student of the process, making sure he’s on the little things so, therefore, on Sundays he can be reliable for the quarterback and really the rest of the offense.”

Smith ended his media availability discussing if the Miami offense needs to be more physical than they were in 2024. He explained, “I think that ultimately what we need to be is more consistent. That’s the thing we’re shooting for, is consistency. That’s what this time of year provides, is for us to use the time to get connected on the same page so that way our expectations through the entire play intent is then maximized through just logging in daily opportunities to make sure for the season we’re all connected on the same page and being consistent.”