Through the first five games nothing went right for them on offense. They averaged 72 yards rushing per game and allowed a ridiculous 17 sacks on quarterback Ryan Tannehill. At 1-4 they were going nowhere and in danger of collapsing. So they decided to change things up, and it started with a massive purge of the depth chart.
“The Dolphins (1-4) endured a major roster overhaul in which guard-tackle Dallas Thomas, a 2013 third-round pick, guard-tackle Billy Turner, a 2014 third-round pick, and guard-center Jamil Douglas, a 2015 fourth-round pick, were all cut on Tuesday.”
The second adjustment was shifting to more of a run-oriented game plan, allowing their younger line to set the tone for games by going forward. Spearheaded by breakout start Jay Ajayi, Miami averaged 139 rushing yards over the final 11 games. They went 8-3 in that stretch and made the playoffs. Word is Washburn was one of the guys who spearheaded those adjustments.
This is a young coach who was wrongly run out of town by Detroit two years ago. Is it any coincidence he was interested in a chance to get back at them with their division rival? Given what he did for Bush and then Ajayi, if nothing else Washburn’s arrival will be welcome news for Jordan Howard. Even better news if they end up rolling with a rookie quarterback.
