Mike McDaniel cites excellent reason he's high on using a fullback in Dolphins' offense

MIAMI GARDENS — Of all the reasons to employ a fullback in 2022, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel cited the best one when asked about it this week.

“It doesn’t hurt that a lot of offenses have gone away from that,” McDaniel said. “ … Defenses aren’t as adept at fitting those types of plays, whether they’re runs or passes.”

It’s no secret that fullbacks have been a dying breed in this pass-happy era of the NFL.

But there’s a difference between dying and dead, between endangered and extinct. Hey, they keep bringing back "Jurassic Park" movies, so why not fullbacks?

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When the Dolphins added Alec Ingold via free agency, there was no mistaking where they stand on the issue. But is McDaniel acting as a throwback or a visionary when he committed to an offense with a fullback?

The answer isn’t as obvious as you might think.

Fullbacks were so scarce last season that Pro Football Focus graded only six based a minimum snap count. Still, there are signs the pendulum might be swinging in the other direction.

Start with the fact that we’ve all seen how effective Kyle Juszczyk could be at McDaniel’s former stop, San Francisco. Now consider the Chicago Bears, who appear intrigued with possibilities for new addition Khari Blasingame even though they haven’t had a fullback for four years. Add the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected Connor Heyward in the sixth round.

That might not qualify as a tidal wave, but this is a copycat league, so if it’s effective, others could consider it.

Just remember how minuscule this fraternity had become.

“Yeah, we all stay in contact,” Ingold said of the fullbacks. “I watched all of the 49ers film from since I’ve been in the league just watching ‘Juice’ (Juszczyk) do his thing and watching Pat Ricard and C.J. Ham, Derek Watt. The list goes on and on and on. Just being able to follow those guys, follow those offenses, seeing how they do their techniques and how they play football. We take great pride in changing the dynamic of an offense.”

That’s what McDaniel is looking for, pointing out that a fullback can give an offense a mathematical advantage to either side of the center based on whether he goes right or left. By the time the defense reads and reacts, it might be too late.

“It’s just not any ordinary human being,” McDaniel said, who is equipped for the role. “You have to have an athletic player that is smart, can understand a lot of schemes and can read on the fly. When that position player plays fast, it can be pretty disruptive to teams that are not used to going against it.”

Dolphins fans might need time adjusting their eyes to the presence of a fullback and a running back alongside Tua Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins barely dipped their toes in the water with fullback Chandler Cox, who started three games each in 2019 and ’20. Before that, years went by with limited use for a fullback. Sometimes that was with moonlighting tight ends such as Dion Sims and Charles Clay.

Difficult as it is to believe in 2022, the Dolphins spent a second-round pick on a fullback in 1999, selecting Rob Konrad, the most recent pure fullback to make a lasting impact in Miami. Konrad was the last of a line of quality fullbacks including Keith Byars, Woody Bennett, Andra Franklin and Don Nottingham.

Of course, all take a distant back seat to Larry Csonka, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who had three — yes, kids, three — 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Dolphins.

Now comes Ingold, 6-feet-1 and 240 pounds, undrafted out of Wisconsin, who spent three seasons with the Raiders. Ingold has only 15 total carries in his career, but the significant number here is 10 — the number of first downs he produced. Of his 28 receptions, 17 moved the chains. And he has never fumbled.

lngold is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in November. Although his day job should be blocking for Tagovailoa and as a lead blocker for the running backs, it shouldn’t be too much to ask, if he’s healthy enough, to move the pile on short-yardage and goal-line situations, further taking heat off Tagovailoa.

Ingold, by the way, was rated as the eighth-best fullback by PFF in 2021 once the snap minimum is excluded, with a grade of 69.1 Baltimore’s Ricard came in No. 1 at 73.9.

Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is high on using a fullback. Here's why.