Dolphins’ McDaniel addresses Cam Smith release, Hill, Wilson pickup, more issues
It’s generally uncommon, but hardly unprecedented, for a team to release a second-round pick a month into his third season.
So why did the Dolphins part ways with cornerback Cam Smith just 29 months after drafting him 51st overall?
Coach Mike McDaniel declined to offer specifics on Wednesday, saying only: “It’s the best thing for the Dolphins and it’s also the best thing for Cam. Unfortunate. You don’t see it going out that way.
“In a team sport, It didn’t play out the way you see it when you invest in a player like that. We pushed for all efforts and it didn’t work out. Maybe it’s a lesson he learns from it... I wish him the best.”
Smith was moved to the NFL non-football illness list before the start of the regular season. Per team policy, the team has declined to say why he was placed on that list.
How would McDaniel characterize Smith’s time in Miami?
“Time,” McDaniel said.
He will not be signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad.
Smith finished his Dolphins career with 18 tackles in 21 games, and quarterbacks had a 101.6 passer rating in his coverage area. He missed significant time with multiple injuries and played 20 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2023 and 133 last season.
McDaniel addressed other issues during his Wednesday media briefing, heading into Sunday’s game at Carolina (1 p.m., WSVN-Fox 7):
▪ Tyreek Hill, who had major knee surgery on Wednesday, will remain hospitalized on Wednesday night for precautionary reasons, McDaniel said.
▪ Is Jaylen Waddle ready to be a No. 1 receiver?
“We’ve looked at him as a wide receiver one,” he said, calling him an “elite” receiver. “He’s very much ready for this moment. He has seen himself as a one, and we’ve approached it the same way. There shouldn’t be an adjustment for Jaylen.”
▪ McDaniel said new receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. will not practice this week because he recently had a “minor procedure” that the Dolphins knew about when they poached him off the Saints’ practice squad this week.
McDaniel said the Dolphins opted to sign Wilson because of “his consistency and play-making ability and ability to play with or without the ball. He played to a high standard here. As we looked at all in his tape since [with New Orleans], he hasn’t lost a step in our opinion.”
Here’s more on Wilson’s addition.
▪ McDaniel said cornerback Rasul Douglas “has exceeded expectations in my opinion.”
▪ McDaniel likes what he has seen from tight end Julian Hill:
“You have to continue to evolve your game whether people are patting you on the back or working through noise. He doesn’t stop. We were able to make plays off his displacement off the line of scrimmage with our ball carriers. He’s able to own the point of attack.”
▪ The misdemeanor battery charge against linebacker coach Ryan Crow is being dropped by Broward prosecutors, according to local reporter Andy Slater.
The Dolphins place Crow on indefinite leave after his Aug. 29 arrest.
Asked about that report, McDaniel said there has been no change in Crow’s status with the team and the team won’t address the matter until it is done with its investigation. Fort Lauderdale PD arrested Crow in late August for misdemeanor battery.
Waller update
Tight end Darren Waller, who scored two touchdowns in his Dolphins debut on Monday, played 16 offensive snaps against the Jets but said his snap count will take a “jump” against Carolina.
Waller said he sustained a strained quadriceps/hip early in camp, then re-aggravated the injury before the opener.
▪ Right tackle Austin Jackson is eligible to come off injured reserve on Monday, but it appears he will need more time. He was spotted in the locker room in a walking boot on Wednesday.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 1:12 PM.
