The Miami Dolphins should be eyeing a numbers game elsewhere in the NFL with ties to one of their most important coaches
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s old team may have a numbers game on their hands at a position of need in South Florida.
I’m not going to tell you anything you don’t already know. But the Miami Dolphins have a bunch of unquestioned answers at wide receiver this summer.
The perimeter skill players in South Florida are comprised of a trio of rookies (one of them is injured), a couple of career role players, and a handful of former flameouts who didn’t work out elsewhere. It’s not the most inspirational group on the roster — although someone(s) from this young group could surprise. But if the team ends up needing to churn the wide receiver room, there’s a situation elsewhere worth watching. And it involves offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s old team.
Bobby Slowik’s old stomping grounds could bear a situation worth watching as the Miami Dolphins’ seek to churn their roster
Slowik, of course, was the offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans for two seasons from 2023-2024. He was apart of then-rookie CJ Stroud’s brilliant debut season — although things with and without Slowik have looked rocky since. Stroud’s wide receiver room has plenty of players with familiarity to Slowik. And one of those players, Tank Dell, could tip the numbers game towards a difficult cut if he successfully returns from injury.
If you saw Tank Dell’s 2024 injury against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the year, you probably haven’t forgotten it. It was a horrific-looking leg injury that somewhat mirrored Tyreek Hill’s injury last season. In all, he tore his ACL, MCL, LCL, dislocated his kneecap, and suffered meniscus damage. It was…a lot.
But Dell is back to work after missing all of 2025. And his return to action could pose a tough decision for the Texans elsewhere in their wide receiver room. If that’s the case, the Miami Dolphins should be keeping a close eye on the situation.
Houston’s wide receiver room looks full amid Tank Dell’s pending return
Nico Collins. Tank Dell. 2025 second-round pick Jayden Higgins. 2025 third-round pick Jaylin Noel. 2026 sixth-round rookie Lewis Bond (a Boston College graduate & Jeff Hafley recruit). Xavier Hutchinson. Justin Watson. That’s seven!
Most teams don’t keep more than six. Some keep five. Houston did end up keeping seven last year — so there are no guarantees that someone shakes loose, even if Dell makes a triumphant return to the field of play. But Houston’s been deeply invested at the tight end position recently, drafting Marlin Klein in the second-round to pair with veteran Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, and 2024 draft pick Cade Stover.
The crunch will be real for the Texans. And if the team ends up keeping five or six wide receivers, Lewis Bond, Xavier Hutchinson, and Justin Watson feel like the bubble players. Hutchinson’s first two seasons in Houston were played under Slowik. And Bond, as we’ve already mentioned, played for Jeff Hafley in college. There’s nothing imminent here, but this is certainly a numbers game to watch. A healthy Tank Dell would feel like a tipping point for opportunity.
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