Part 2 of a bye weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:
From dandi144:
Thanks for pointing out how horrible McDaniel’s decisions were to not kick FGs against Washington and calling timeouts, which gave Washington the luxury of getting a breather and huddling. I would also like to point out that the biggest issue I have with McDaniel, other than he’s freaking weird, is that this team has not been ready to play at the beginning of the season both this year and last year. It’s plainly obvious that he has no idea how to get the team ready to play quality NFL football from Week 1. That alone is inexcusable and why he must go at the end of the season. I’m afraid any late winning streak will keep him on board, and the cycle will be repeated again next year, leading him to being replaced mid-season and yet another wasted season for us fans.
The big issue for me with the Washington decision to call timeouts on defense wasn’t that it gave the Commanders a breather, but that it allowed them to get into field goal position when they seemed happy to play for overtime. It also clashed with the decision not to kick the field goal for the lead because then he banked on the defense getting a three-and-out on defense (the timeouts) after not showing the confidence it could hold a three-point lead. As for the slow starts to the season, there always should be a caveat to the 2024 season because Tua got injured in Week 2 (though that sheds light in the failure to get a better backup).
From Mike Jones:
Waller back vs. Saints? And did Jason Sanders have a setback or are the Fins doing him dirty? I truly hope not, he’s the best kicker in franchise history, so clutch!
Hey Mike, based on their pattern with players coming back from IR, I would suspect it won’t be the New Orleans game for Waller’s return. As for Sanders, the Dolphins are paying the same amount on IR, so why would they be “doing him dirty”? There have been no details as far as his recovery, so the idea of a setback certainly isn’t farfetched.
From Lloyd Heilbrunn:
Is there some kind of monster under the Dolphins’ players’ beds, that eats cornerbacks?
Hey Lloyd, yeah, the Dolphins have had quite the run of bad luck there this year with (and I hope I’m not forgetting anybody) Jason Maitre, Kader Kohou, Artie Burns, Storm Duck, JuJu Brents and Jason Marshall (though he returned). It’s probably the nature of the position, though, with a lot of running involved and therefore more stress on the lower body. If you notice, the positions that tend to feature the most injuries are DBs and offensive linemen (because they often have bodies falling on their legs while they’re blocking an opponent).
From Olive Grove Jon:
Hi Alain. Tua is starting to resemble a game manager. Surely the FO can’t be happy paying out $50 million (cue Omar lol) for this? Do you think they will draft a QB in the next 2 years? Is Tua’s time coming to an end?
Hey OGJ, Mike McDaniel has referred to Tua as a point guard, which kinda sorta is the same thing as a game manager. But the reality is that even at his best that’s what Tua was; he was just doing it at a very high level. Given his contract status, I still believe Tua will be the starting quarterback in 2026, but the Dolphins will consider drafting an eventual successor sooner rather than later if Tua doesn’t close the 2025 season well. But I wouldn’t necessarily bank on a QB getting drafted next offseason.
From Bubba:
How many owners would have fired their HC after that 4th down call AND calling timeouts on the next opponent drive? Isn’t that a fireable offense or do we see something that Ross doesn’t?
Hey Bubba, yeah, as I indicated many times and wrote, I was not a fan of those two decisions — each one by itself was questionable in my eyes, but put together made less than zero sense. But, no, it’s not an itself a fireable offense and Stephen Ross does hold Mike McDaniel in very high regard.
From Luis Rodriguez:
Hi Poup. Personally, not professionally (‘cause I know that answer), what would give you more joy… Fins win a playoff game or KC missing the playoffs?
Hey Luis, that’s a good one and a funny one. Can I call it a tie? As it stands, though, chances are much better in 2025 for KC to miss the playoffs than for the Dolphins to get that playoff win.
From Jeff:
Hello Alain, what is going on with Jeff Wilson and will he ever get a chance at all? He hasn’t played despite opportunities for him to do so. The ball is force-fed to Achane as opposed to the balance of 2023. Right now all 3 RBs on the roster are (or were) banged up. 57 Carries in 2023+2024 and he was let go this year. Only 1 elevation left. Thank you as always for everything you do.
Hey Jeff, it’s pretty clear that Jeff Wilson Jr. was signed to the practice squad as an emergency fill-in, which is what happened in Weeks 1 and 2 when Jaylen Wright was sidelined by his knee injury. Wilson simply does not fit into McDaniel’s plans and when the Dolphins want to spread the ball around, it’s with Wright and Ollie Gordon II.
From Bick Whitener:
Hi, Alain: Great work in your articles, analysis & podcasts. My thanks 4 those. My? Will the team use the bye as a mini training camp to try some position switches & introduce some new plays? (I don’t think so, but I suspect the fan base is curious.) Go Dolphins Digest alumni!
Hey Bick, the Dolphins used the bye week for the players to rest, heal and recharge the batteries for the final six weeks of the regular season. The team did not conduct a practice at all during the week, though it’s not unprecedented because I believe the Chargers did the same thing.
From Sal Cano:
Am I wrong for thinking when we look back on this core, would you say it peaked with the Holland return for a TD vs. the Jets? Phillips goes down later in that game and it’s been a decline ever since.
Hey Sal, that’s an interesting observation because most fans point to the Monday night collapse against Tennessee as the turning point. It also could be pointed out the Dolphins blew out Washington, 45-15, after the Jets and before Tennessee. If I were to pinpoint a turning point, I’m thinking maybe more the injury to Connor Williams in that Tennessee game may have been where things really turned.
From Chris Roney:
With the group of Sieler, Grant, Phillips and Robinson, will the DL perform much better in ’26 or is an overhaul needed still in that group?
Hey Chris, we’re talking about two separate position groups here, interior defensive linemen and edge defenders. I think IDL would be a very low priority in the offseason because I do expect that group should take a big step forward in 2026. I’m not as convinced with the edge defenders because Robinson still has to show he can be an every-down player as opposed to a pass-rushing specialist and Bradley Chubb isn’t going to be coming back on his current contract, so he either will have to restructure or be cut. So an edge defender definitely is among the list of priorities for next offseason.
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