The Miami Dolphins have agreed to deals with six players now, including fullback Alec Ingold, who has reportedly signed a two-year deal worth up to $7.5 million. This deal would make him the second-highest-paid fullback in the NFL.
Now, the only fullback making more money than Ingold is San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk, whose contract has an average annual value of $5.4 million.
What do those two players now have in common? They have both been targeted to play in Kyle Shanahan/Mike McDaniel’s system.
During Ingold’s three seasons with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, he was a solid blocker, as he was rated third among all fullbacks in 2021 by Pro Football Focus with a 71.3 run-blocking grade. However, Ingold was also a surprising option out of the backfield as a receiver.
His numbers don’t jump off the page, but 28 receptions, 239 yards and three touchdowns are not numbers to look down on from a fullback in this period of football.
In McDaniel’s offensive scheme, this may be the biggest change for the Dolphins this offseason. In this age, not many teams were using the tight end as much as the 49ers did during McDaniel’s tenure with the team. Looking at Juszczyk’s numbers during that time could be a predictor for what Dolphins fans could expect from Ingold.
While McDaniel was with San Francisco, Juszczyk was on the field for 50.4% of the team’s offensive snaps. He earned five Pro Bowl nominations while recording 132 receptions, 1,376 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns while adding another 154 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
It would be a lot to expect that of Ingold, especially when he’s returning from an ACL injury that he suffered in the second half of this past season, but this is what Miami is hoping to find.
If Ingold can help improve the running game and bring something in the passing game, the signing could be considered a win.