How much of a mess were the Miami Dolphins under Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier? A lot worse than most fans may ever know, but it's starting to come out, and chances are, it will only get worse.
McDaniel was given everything he needed to lead the Dolphins to playoff wins, but something was missing. A unity that should define championship-caliber teams. Instead, players were allowed to police themselves, and now we know with more certainty that was a reason for the quick implosion of a locker room that should have been working together.
Jordyn Brooks joined a roster that had all the names but didn't have the drive to be better. He wasn't the only one calling the Dolphins soft. An unnamed Dolphins player, per Tyler Dunne of Go Long TD, dropped a much bigger bomb on those "names."
Former Miami Dolphins players say they couldn't win because no one cared enough about it
The article is pretty damning about who the Dolphins weren't. It's a direct reflection on the head coach and the staff, as well as the GM who built a team of names.
"We didn’t fight for each other on the field,” a former Dolphins player told Dunne. “We just didn’t give a f***. Offense didn’t care about the defense. Defense didn’t care about the offense. That’s how it went. I stopped giving a f***."
It didn't stop there. The former Dolphins player called out several of his former teammates for not having the right attitude.
"Nobody respected the guys with the C's on their chest, because they didn't give a f***."
That player went on to say that those players (the ones with a "C" on their chest) "Made some crazy plays." They pointed out Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill, but they also were the ones who were setting a tone for a declining culture.
Young players, especially drafted and undrafted rookies, look at how the Captains work. They look to them for guidance that doesn't always come with words, but with actions. Many of those "leaders" were not leading by example.
It's no secret that McDaniel's lax approach to holding his players accountable inevitably led to his own firing. His push-and-shove relationship with Ramsey led to trading the veteran corner to Pittsburgh. Even his relationship with Tua Tagovailoa would sour over the course of a couple of seasons.
"An offensive starter said McDaniel 'was just too much of a bro' and lost control of the locker room," Dunne said.
McDaniel is being heralded as the best OC for the Chargers; he may even get another head coaching shot after the 2026 season. Maybe he learned something from his time in Miami. You can't be friends with the players and expect to be able to hold them accountable. McDaniel let the horses run the stable without a door to stop them.
It's not the first time Dolphins fans have heard this. Former Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert took shots at his former HC as well. What is becoming clear, however, is that whatever happened behind closed doors while McDaniel was the coach is starting to filter out of the facility.
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