Why Mike McDaniel is "very" happy with the addition of his lone waiver wire pick up

Despite the Miami Dolphins' imploding talent at wide receiver due to injuries, the team received only one awarded claim from the final NFL cuts; WR Grant DuBose and Mike McDaniel are thrilled.

DuBose isn't a flashy guy to the extent a lot of teams were banging down the door to get him. His time in Green Bay was like many late-round draft selections, spent on the practice squad trying to find a way onto the field.

Now, DuBose is with the Dolphins and will spend at least week one on the team's 53-man roster. DuBose caught the attention of Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, his 4.57 forty speed wasn't hard to miss, especially for a coach who loves fast players.

For now, DuBose might get a chance to play in his first meaningful NFL game if he isn't on the inactive list for the Dolphins' week one opener against the Jaguars. He has been at practice for almost a week and is desperately trying to pick up a playbook that many consider to be tough to learn.

Did the Miami Dolphins intend to draft Grant DuBose in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Speaking with the media, Mike McDaniel indicated that DuBose was on his personal radar, maybe not Chris Grier's. McDaniel said, "You're kind of targeting in different areas of the draft or whatever, and then another team takes him, so you pay attention." Here is the full quote on DuBose.

"“It’s something that I knew of him coming out, and when you’re high on specific players that you’re kind of targeting in different areas of the draft or wherever, and then another team takes him, you pay attention. So I’ve been paying attention to his game, and I think also, it didn’t hurt that I have a strong relationship that’s very communicative with their head coach Matt LaFleur, so I kind of knew what Grant (DuBose) was like day-in, day-out. For what we’re trying to do and the roles that we have on our team, I thought he was a very good fit for his skill sets and what we’re looking for to add to our wide receiver room. The connectivity of what he has done, it was very clear and what he could offer us in terms of adding to the group, it was a really good fit. I’m very, very happy we got that claim.”"

- Mike McDaniel - Via Dolphins.com

Miami may have been targeting DuBose in the 7th round, or maybe they wanted him as an undrafted addition, but a year later, McDaniel got a guy that he liked coming out of college. When McDaniel likes someone, that player usually gets at least the practice reps to prove his value.

On Sunday, the Jaguars will come to town and while the Dolphins WR unit may not be what fans had expected, DuBose might be an interesting player to watch if he is active.