What to know on new Dolphins guard Cole Strange, who’s offering tips on ex-team
For years, former Patriots coach Bill Belichick routinely signed former Dolphins players before the teams played.
Miami returned the favor this week, though coach Mike McDaniel said it was purely coincidental.
New Dolphins guard Cole Strange, who was signed this week following James’ Daniels pectoral injury, cracked Thursday that he is telling Dolphins players and coaches “everything I can. Getting rid of all their secrets.”
In all seriousness, he said he spoke with some of the Dolphins’ defensive coaches and offered “tips and pointers” about the Patriots system and personnel, which both have changed somewhat after Mike Vrabel replaced Jerod Mayo as head coach.
“I don’t think it’s a major edge,” Strange said.
He said he offered some of those tips unsolicited, but coaches also asked him for input.
Strange took a predraft visit to the Dolphins in 2022 before the Patriots selected him 29th overall out of Chattanooga.
He started all 17 of his appearances as a rookie and all 10 of his appearances in 2023. He permitted a combined 46 pressures and eight sacks in his first two seasons at left guard and committed seven penalties. He sustained a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in Week 15 of 2023, ending his season.
Strange was placed on the reserve/PUP list to begin the 2024 season while recovering from his knee injury. He was activated on Dec. 10, made two starts and logged 117 snaps, mostly as a backup center.
The Patriots waived him in late August, and he spent more than a week on Cleveland’s practice squad before Miami poached him this week.
“I got hurt December 23 [2023], really until December 2024, I couldn’t play football,” he said. “At this level, it’s not a very forgiving thing. When you are playing, general awareness of things, week after week of playing, you are quicker. When you take a year off, there are little things you have to get in a groove again. I feel strong, feel quick. It’s just a matter of getting back into the swing of things.”
He said his skill set fits the Dolphins’ zone blocking scheme.
“I feel it aligns pretty good,” he said. “They let you be athletic. They run off the ball. The faster you play, the more you rely on Instinct. I love center. I love guard. Can’t really play center until have the playbook down. Just getting here so recently, I don’t feel comfortable in the playbook yet.”
General manager Chris Grier reminded Strange this week that the Dolphins liked him coming out of the draft.
McDaniel said the Strange pickup had nothing to do with any potential information he could share with the Dolphins.
“He’s here because of his own merit, and we’re excited to have him,” McDaniel said. “I think all the way back to when he was coming out of college, he has a lot of skill set that we utilize in terms of quickness and his ability to press on an angle and block people.”
Though Strange could eventually provide competition, Kion Smith is expected to start at right guard this week in Daniels’ absence. McDaniel has said Daniels might be ready to play when he’s eligible to come off injured reserve after four games.
This and that
▪ Running back Jaylen Wright was a limited practice participant in practice for the first time since a knee procedure. His right leg is wrapped.
“I’m doing my part to get right, and I’ll be back,” he said.
Five others sat out practice: right tackle Austin Jackson (toe), tight end Darren Waller (hip), defensive tackle Benito Jones (oblique) and cornerbacks Storm Duck (ankle) and Ethan Bonner (hamstring).
During the media viewing part of practice, safety Ashtyn Davis was doing a rehab assignment. He has a calf injury and a new knee injury.
▪ Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Waller’s hip injury has “been frustrating and challenging. He wants to contribute. Not trying to push yourself too quickly to incur anything. He’s working as hard as he can to be ready to go. It’s joy seeing him around every day. There’s an energy to him.”
▪ Players said a players only meeting called by the captains on Monday was productive.
“Make sure we all lock back in and the belief is there,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said.
Fullback Alec Ingold said Tua Tagovailoa got “the offense together. Just talking about points of emphasis we want to see as players that are controllable throughout the week that we can hold each other accountable and set expectations.
“We have a lot of guys that want to make sure we are learning from past experiences, not allowing things to stay slow and funky. And not wish for things to happen. We are going to make it happen. We need to air it and share expectations we have for every week. This can bring people together. It’s part of our story now.”
Can the offensive woes be solved schematically or is it entirely execution issue? “It’s always going to be a combination,” Ingold said.
▪ How did rookie Kenneth Grant do in his first game?
”There were a lot of things that showed up with pad level and eye control; there are some flashes there,” defensive line coach Austin Clark said. “He had the [pass dropback] on the one and made the tackle. He played with good effort. We are striving in improvement in technique and fundamentals.”
Clark said veteran defensive lineman Matthew Butler, who overcame odds to make the team, has “good twitch, lateral quickness to be change of pace from Grant, Jordan Phillips and complement Zach Seiler.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 4:14 PM.
