To say Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is walking toward the hot seat is an understatement. To some, he is already on it. This year will be critical, and the preseason could see him part ways with a few of his veteran draft picks.
Looking over the roster, some fringe players are likely not going to make the roster, but three stand out specifically for a single reason: they were all drafted in McDaniel's first season with the team.
Channing Tindall, Erik Ezukanma, and Cameron Goode were taken in Rounds 3, 4, and 7, respectively, in the 2022 NFL Draft. This year, all three could be gone. If that happens, not one player from that draft class will remain with the team.
Miami Dolphins are close to saying goodbye to 2022 draft class
This year's preseason games could go a long way toward sealing the fate of these three. Strong joint practices and performances during those games will help, but given the depth at wide receiver and linebacker, it will be an uphill battle for all of them. Their three-year history is hard to overlook.
Miami never really got the production it had hoped for from Tindall. Minor injuries were problematic, but Tindall was available for 16, 17, and 11 games over the first three seasons. He didn't make a single start.
Ezukanma has been discussed a lot, and he didn't make the 53-man roster last season but was on the practice squad. That would be his best outcome this year.
Goode has struggled. After missing his rookie season due to injury, the linebacker couldn't get it going upon his return. He was available for 17 games in his second year, but like Tindall, didn't start a single one. The production from the trio, which made up three of the team's four draft picks in 2022, has not been good.
Despite only four players being drafted, production wasn't close to what the Dolphins expected, and if none of them make the final roster this year, it would close the book on one of Chris Grier's worst drafts.