When the Miami Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel to be their new head coach this offseason, it wasn’t just the former offensive coordinator who made the trip from San Francisco to South Florida.
McDaniel was joined by Jon Embree and Wes Welker, two assistant coaches who could really help Miami’s offense. While Embree has been coaching since the early 1990s, Welker only retired from playing just a few years back and is fairly new to the profession.
It was actually Miami where Welker started to showcase his skills as a receiver and returner from 2004-06 before he was traded to the New England Patriots.
Now, instead of making plays on the field, he’s in charge of a young, talented wide receiver room that boasts the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as the top two players on the depth chart.
Waddle spoke about learning from Welker after practice on Friday, and it’s clear the former Dolphin has the respect of his guys.
“It’s a different approach because he actually played and he had success in this league,” Waddle said. “You really take into consideration what he’s telling you because he did it before. It just makes it hit home a little better.
“I think he’s just himself. Out here and in meetings, he’s himself. He’s not going to sugarcoat nothing. He’s going to tell you if that was a bad play, that’s a bad play. That’s all you can ask for from a coach, honestly, is to give his true opinion.”
This is Welker’s sixth season as a coach in the NFL and his fourth working with McDaniel. That relationship has blossomed, and the head coach has taught him a few things about how to get the receivers prepared, including how to cut impactful coaching tape.
Waddle says the tape that Welker shows can really help a player, especially if reps aren’t perfect.
“It’s good,” Waddle said. “It makes it full circle, especially if you mess up and he shows you a play that you get the same look from the defense – kind of how it’s supposed to be. So he paints that picture in your mind so the next time you go out there, what to expect and how you’re going to treat it.”
While it’s only been seven seasons since Welker last played in an NFL game, he’s quickly catching on and becoming a respected positional coach in the league. Helping Waddle continue to grow and a guy like Erik Ezukanma, a former Red Raider like Welker, get adjusted to the league can only be beneficial for the young coach in the early stages of this new career.