During Mike McDaniel’s first two seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team seemed like they were on pace to establish themselves with the elite contenders in the NFL. Over two years, the Dolphins went 18-14, and made two trips to the postseason. However, in 2024, year three of the McDaniel era, the team regressed. While Miami navigated injury to still finish 8-9, the franchise didn’t look like the promising team from years prior.
As a result, the Dolphins have made some intentional moves this offseason to better equip themselves for success. While talks about a pending Jalen Ramsey trade have dominated offseason discussions in Miami, most of the team’s other moves have flown under the radar. In a recent piece on NFL.com, Senior Columnist Judy Battista shed a light on those moves to highlight a philosophical adjustment that’s taking place in Miami.
Battista highlighted negative narratives that six teams will be trying to change in 2025, and for the Dolphins, the narrative was “Are the Dolphins all flash with no toughness?” Battista made it clear this narrative is about more than winning in the cold, highlighting examples from last season when Miami was just physically dominated.
"Let's set aside for a moment whether Mike McDaniel's squad can win in the cold. This is about being able to physically overpower opponents when needed. Too often last season, it looked like Miami could not. In one game against the Packers, the Dolphins twice had first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. They got just three points from those two drives. The first was blown up when running back De’Von Achane tried to run around the right end and was thrown for a 6-yard loss on first down. The second drive included three straight plays from the 1-yard line. On fourth-and-1, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was sacked. Miami lost the game by 13 points."Judy Battista (NFL.com)
The Dolphins have shown incredible self awareness this offseason, because they’ve made moves to become a more physical squad. As highlighted by Battista, the Dolphins put an emphasis on size and physicality in the draft, using their first three picks to select two defensive tackles and a guard. Miami also drafted Ollie Gordon II in the sixth round, a physical, 6-foot-1, 226-pound running back.
“Their dazzling speed has been a thrill to watch when everything's firing on all cylinders,” Battista said, “but these picks suggest leadership recognized that a philosophical adjustment was needed if the Dolphins are finally going to compete with the most physical teams in the league and perhaps make headway in the playoffs.” At the end of the day, making headway in the playoffs is all that matters. If being more physical is the path to accomplishing that, the Dolphins are taking the right approach.