On Monday afternoon, Mike McDaniel had no choice but to speak about the major trade that happened earlier in the day. With Jaelan Phillips off to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins head coach was left to answer for his new general manager's decision.
McDaniel's coaching career with the Dolphins is apparently in the hands of Stephen Ross alone, but his roster is now in the hands of Champ Kelly. It's hard to win when you don't have the players to make an impact, but the Dolphins have only two wins to show for their season thus far.
More changes are expected, but on Monday, McDaniel was saying what every fan has been thinking since the trade was announced.
"I have a high regard and lot of investment in Jaelan Phillips. That part of the business I absolutely dislike in terms of having to say goodbye to a player," McDaniel said. "That said, I understand it was a trade that we got back compensation. I understand the value of that compensation."
Mike McDaniel answers the questions about why Jaelan Phillips is no longer with the Dolphins
The compensation the team received was slightly better than what they may have received had Phillips left in free agency. The Dolphins got a third-round pick for Phillips. The best they could have hoped for had he left this offseason was a 2027 third-round compensatory pick.
RELATED: How Dolphins can use GM Chris Grier’s firing to ignite rapid rebuild
It's not a clear win for the Dolphins, who will eat most of the contract - the Eagles will pay just over $500,000 - but the bigger picture is that McDaniel understands that the long-term goals of the team are more important than one player.
The head coach acknowledged that losing players at the trade deadline is similar to losing a player due to injury. You have to move on; it's the next man up situation.
With the trade deadline looming, the Dolphins are expected to be still active, shipping players out of South Florida.