One trait the Dolphins’ top receivers share from 2021. And why it likely changes in 2022

Through the first two weeks of Dolphins training camp, it’s been established that the team has a receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle whose speed rivals any other duo in the NFL.

But if you take a step back and include veteran addition Cedrick Wilson Jr. in the frame, you’ll see another commonality: a trio of pass-catchers who excelled from the slot during the 2021 season.

With more space to work with compared to the boundary and recent rule changes that protect receivers in the middle of the field, the slot receiver has increasingly grown in prominence in modern offenses. The Dolphins have a wide receiver coach in Wes Welker who Waddle once said “set the standard of being a modern slot receiver.”

While the Dolphins have three more-than-capable receivers who can line up in the slot, there will likely have to be a give and take among the distribution of slot snaps under first-year coach Mike McDaniel.

In 2021 with the Kansas City Chiefs, 49 percent of Hill’s snaps came from a slot or tight alignment and 50 percent of his snaps came from a wide alignment, according to ESPN’s Next Gen Stats. Hill remained productive wherever he lined up, though. He averaged 11.57 yards per catch from a wide alignment and 11.65 yards from the slot. Hill’s average separation per reception was 4.18 yards from both a wide and slot alignment, given credence to Hill’s statement after Saturday’s practice that he’s an “outside receiver.”

“At the end of the day, everybody is in the NFL,” he said. “There are some weak spots on the field. I feel like it’s maybe not the weakest spot on the field but considered like cornerback No. 3. But that’s why you play for great coaches. They know how to use you. They know how to put you in positions to make plays. I feel like I didn’t play slot that much. I feel like I’m an outside receiver. Maybe not your traditional size, but I get the job done. I do what I do.”

For Waddle, 52 percent of his 2021 snaps came from the slot or a tight alignment and 52 percent of his targets were from the slot, as opposed to 41 percent from a wide alignment. But with his speed, the departure of primarily boundary receiver DeVante Parker and the addition of Hill, Waddle could benefit the most from more snaps out wide. Last season, he averaged more yards per catch from a wide alignment — 12.19 compared to 8.25 lined up in the slot — and slightly more separation per catch.

And then there’s Wilson, who playing aside Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb with the Dallas Cowboys had an overwhelming majority of his production come from the slot last season. 84 percent of Wilson’s snaps came from the slot or a tight alignment last season.

“I feel like I can play both in and outside. I definitely like the slot a little more,” Wilson said in June. “I feel like that’s where I strive at and it’s closest to the quarterback so you get the ball easier. ... There’s more shorter routes. Usually, the quarterback is trying to get the ball out of his hand.”

With the likely increase in three-wide-receiver sets, the need for snaps on the boundary and McDaniel’s scheme seeking interchangeability among his receivers, there could be a reduction in slot snaps for some players. There’s also the possibility tight end Mike Gesicki, who has essentially been a glorified “big slot,” has an increase in snaps from an inline alignment in the new scheme, ceding slot snaps to other pass-catchers. 51 percent of Gesicki’s snaps last season came from the slot.

Regardless of who lines up in the slot, the Dolphins see the abundance of options as a boon for their offense and a headache for opposing defenses. And it should assist quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who struggled with passing attempts over the middle of the field last season.

“Primarily, first and foremost, we’re looking for good football players,” McDaniel said in May. “I know our coaching staff has learned over the course of their careers and I have extensive experience in the fact that the more you know, the more versatility that you have and the more that you can isolate and take advantage of matchups in a given week. I think [general manager] Chris [Grier] shares the same view as I have, where there’s a degree or allure or attractiveness to football players that can do a multitude of things.”