The Miami Dolphins have had quite the offseason—and not in a good way. They traded away tight end Jonnu Smith, despite his desire to remain in Miami. Injuries have continued to pile up, and head coach Mike McDaniel finds himself on the hot seat before the season has even started.
“All of those now put a tremendous amount of pressure on McDaniel, who is coming off his first under .500 season with the Dolphins, who were also on the outside looking in on the playoffs. We already listed McDaniel as a head coach with one of the hottest seats in the NFL entering 2025, and the road to save his job just got even more difficult,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan wrote.
The Dolphins' overall culture has also been under scrutiny in recent years, with concerns about leadership and long-term direction coming to light.
“Except this isn't a one-year issue with Miami. Set aside the iffy football decisions, like Grier's inability to field a stable offensive line or properly manage high-profile salaries over the course of a nine-year tenure featuring exactly zero playoff victories. Just from a culture perspective, Miami has been the NFL equivalent of an accident -- a controversy, a feud, a drama -- waiting to happen,” CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin wrote.
While culture may not be the biggest issue just yet, injuries are quickly becoming one. On Thursday, another blow struck the team when offensive lineman James Daniels suffered an ankle injury.
“James Daniels sustained ankle injury in practice and is questionable,” Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.
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This is more bad news for the Dolphins, as Daniels was their biggest free agent signing. Earlier in training camp, concerns about offensive line depth were already being voiced.
“This season is one O-lineman injury away from being a disaster,” Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly posted.
Daniels going down is a significant loss, though there’s still hope he can play Sunday. Because the injury just happened, it’s a waiting game—he could wake up with minimal swelling, or it could worsen overnight. It all depends on how his ankle responds over the next 24 hours.