Nothing is coming easy for the Miami Dolphins in 2025. Injuries have piled up, there is a lack of quality depth across the roster, and things didn't go well against the Chicago Bears last week.
Former Dolphins coach Dan Campbell believes in physical football, and his practices are not easy. Mike McDaniel, on the other hand, has an entirely different approach, and it isn't always met with positivity. Needless to say, the Dolphins' practices have been characterized as easy.
The Dolphins got a rude awakening in their first joint practice session with Campbell's Detroit Lions on Wednesday, as they were dominated on both sides of the ball. In fact, they were so bad that Lions beat writers were shocked.
Dolphins embarrassed by the Lions in first joint practice ahead of this week's preseason game
Miami hopes this week's practice will make the team better, but they also need to use it as a teaching tool. The practice was so bad that Tua Tagovailoa was asked directly how they recover from it. The only thing he could say was: "You don't. You face it head on."
On the other sideline, things were a bit more brutal from the media watching from the Lions' perspective.
"Lions just out-everything'd the Dolphins for 2 hours out here," Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic wrote. "As lopsided a joint NFL practice as I've ever seen."
And that's just the beginning.
"Either the Dolphins are really bad, or the Lions are just a juggernaut. Not a great day for Miami," Mike Payton of A to Z Sports noted from practice.
Perhaps the most blunt assessment came from Colton Pouncy of The Athletic: "That was the most lopsided joint practice I've ever seen. Lions dominated both sides."
Dolphins fans don't want to hear about this, but the reality is they should expect it. McDaniel's practices are soft compared to other NFL teams, and this isn't the first time fans have heard about it.
Jalen Ramsey hasn't taken a lot of shots at the Dolphins since leaving, but he did say the Pittsburgh Steelers' camp is more focused on the fundamentals and getting better. An indirect way of saying Miami is not. Of course, one of the biggest swipes at Miami came from Lions linebacker Grant Stuard.
Stuard was part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that held joint practices with the Dolphins during McDaniel's first year with the team. Speaking on the Detroit Sports Podcast, Stuard said, "I don't know if they are ready."
He was talking about the intensity of the Lions' practice compared to what he witnessed while in Tampa Bay.
The Dolphins are creating more questions with their practice habits. McDaniel's approach has been more laid-back, and the Dolphins have been publicly mocked for playing music throughout the practices.
This is only one practice and shouldn't be taken as an indication of where the team is heading in 2025. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were both out. It is, however, a blueprint for McDaniel as to what needs to be fixed.