Kenneth Grant knows a thing or two about cold football.
The Gary, Ind. native spent the last three years at the University of Michigan. Having played in quite a few games with frigid temperatures, the rookie defensive tackle’s advice matters as the Miami Dolphins go on the road to face the New York Jets.
“You really just can’t let it get to your head,” Grant said. “The weather conditions are what they are. Some guys want to wear long sleeves, there are guys who don’t but whatever makes you comfortable. Just got to be ready to play.”
The common perception of the Miami Dolphins is that they can’t play in the cold. This 2025 Dolphins team, however, could be better equipped to handle the drop in temperature than in previous years.
“That’s how cold games go; you want to run the ball, play good defense,” Grant said. “It’s going to be a low scoring game, so the defense has to go out there and handle the run game.”
Still, the narrative remains for a reason – in large part due to the Dolphins’ recent struggles during the winter months. Tua Tagovailoa, specifically, happens to be a winless when the temperature drops under 40. Jordyn Brooks called the 2024 Dolphins team “soft” after a lackluster, 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers in northeast Wisconsin. And the Dolphins have won just a half a dozen, late season games in Buffalo since the turn of the century.
The cold, however, wasn’t mentioned much, according to several players, in preparation for Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium, where the temperature will a brisk 40º F at the time of kickoff.
What that narrative fails to recognize, however, is the influx of new talent. Out of the Dolphins 24 starters, six either recently came from colleges or franchise where cold weather was abundant. In fact, veterans like Matthew Judon, who spent his most of his career with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, refused to even engage in that line of thinking.
“Don’t let the outside, inside,” Judon said of the cold narrative.
Additionally, the way that the defense has played combined with the offense’s run-first mentality makes Miami seemingly suited to play in harsh weather conditions, as Grant mentioned. The Dolphins’ defense has forced seven turnovers since Week 10, which is tied for third in the league over that span. The Dolphins have also averaged 176.7 yards on the ground over their three-game win streak, in large part due to star tailback De’Von Achane, a mark that leads the NFL across that stretch.
While the Dolphins’ newfound identity could be a huge advantage down the stretch, there will still be moments where the game falls squarely on Tua Tagovailoa’s shoulders. In fact, it was against the Jets that Tagovailoa finally led the Dolphins to their first win of the 2025 season, tossing two touchdowns to tight end Darren Waller in the 27-21 victory in Week 4. Whether the Dolphins intend to once again rely on Tagovailoa remains to be seen, however, the league leader in interceptions knows that he has to be better, especially as the games start to matter more.
“As the run game has its flow, the pass game has to find that same flow, and they need to be able to intertwine to keep the defense on their heels,” Tagovailoa said, adding that he’s recently talked with coach Mike McDaniel about “the efficiency for us offensively with me being able to distribute the ball needs to be better, and we need to get our guys in the flow just how we’re running the ball.”
And as the away games get colder and colder, McDaniel just wants to keep the focus on the opponent rather than the weather.
“To me, I think we have a lot of reasons to not have any concern for elements of temperature and not moisture,” McDaniel said. Realistically, these guys have all played football in those elements. It’ll be about playing the Jets; it won’t be about playing in the cold.”
SATURDAY ROSTER MOVE
The Miami Dolphins added offensive lineman Kion Smith to the active roster Saturday afternoon.
An undrafted free agent, Smith signed with the Dolphins in Sept. 2021. Since then, he’s moved up and down the roster as well as the practice squad. Smith has appeared in 20 games during his time in Miami, 11 of which occurred in 2025, the same year that he received his first two opportunities to start.
C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
