...
By James Brizuela
Contributing Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Miami Dolphins have reached a critical point in their season. The offense isn't working, the defense is off, and the team's roster is showing its many issues each week. It is time to clean house.
More news: Dolphins’ Darren Waller Leaves Browns Game After Suffering New Injury
Head coach Mike McDaniel is clearly no longer inspiring the players, and general manager Chris Grier's patchwork roster continues to show its weakness, especially in a massively lacking run defense.
Read More
It was well established that the Dolphins had a weakness on their offensive line and secondary, but the weird part of the team's downfalls has been on a run defense that includes Pro Bowl talent like Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and more.
Miami could have saved its season with a win against the lowly Cleveland Browns, but the team was outclassed in every way. Tua Tagovailoa once again threw multiple interceptions, leading to second-chance points for the Browns.
Cleveland has a rookie quarterback in Dillon Gabriel and McDaniel stated the Dolphins' job is to make Gabriel "look like a rookie." Unfortunately, that was never the case on Sunday.
Gabriel looked comfortable most of the day and played mistake-free football.
The offense was so bad that McDaniel chose to pull Tagovailoa and let rookie Quinn Ewers finish out the day.
It isn't just the 1-6 record, but it is the outside noise that has impacted the team as well.
...
More news: Exclusive: Frank Gore on 49ers Being Resilient, Current Favorite RBs, and the HoF
Tagovailoa's recent comments on players missing player-only meetings set the NFL on fire, with current and past players calling out the Dolphins quarterback for essentially throwing his own players under the bus.
Even former Alabama head coach Nick Saban stated he was "shocked" by the way Tagovailoa handled the situation.
With a perceived locker room that is dysfunctional and a struggling team all-around, the organization needs a change. McDaniel is now 29-29 through four seasons, and the past two seasons have shown that the former offensive guru has been figured out.
The Dolphins built a team of speed, rather than one of toughness. That has been the team's biggest critique for multiple seasons, and it is showing in the way they have handled adversity in 2025.
That speed has not amounted to much, especially after the team lost Tyreek Hill to a season-ending ankle injury. Miami
There are fundamental issues with the way the Dolphins have been built through the draft, and that falls directly on Grier. Though players like Patrick Paul and Jaylen Waddle have been bright spots, other selections like Cam Smith remind everyone that Miami's general manager may not be elite when it comes to evaluating talent.
There have been reports that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was growing "frustrated" with the situation, but he is also a very loyal person. Conflicting reports following that also indicated Ross was not considering McDaniel.
Though Ross may be being patient considering McDaniel has shown flashes of brilliance and success, he needs to make the decision to blow things up.
Losing six games is one thing, but losing in dominant fashion to an equally struggling Browns team should be the proverbial nail in the coffin.
Tagovailoa has 10 interceptions through seven games. He does have 11 touchdowns, but that has been completely silenced by the costly turnovers. Six of those interceptions have come in the last two games.
There has been plenty of chatter that the Dolphins would fire McDaniel, Grier, and find a way to move on from Tagovailoa. The latter might be hard to stomach considering the team awarded him a four-year, $212.4 million extension in 2024. It became the largest in franchise history.
Tagovailoa playing this terrible brand of football just amplifies the idea that McDaniel's previously lauded offensive mind is not what it used to be.
Whether or not the Dolphins shockingly move on from Tagovailoa in 2026, there needs to be a complete reset with the coaching staff and front office.
Nothing has worked the past two seasons, and 2025 is a reminder that Grier's roster was not vastly improved this or in previous offseasons.
Miami needs new minds. The organization needs a big change. The only way to accomplish this is by blowing everything up.
For more on the Dolphins, head to Newsweek Sports.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines