Dolphins’ McDaniel, Weaver address personnel. And McDaniel on ‘baseless’ rumors
Except for safety Elijah Campbell, the Dolphins will have every player on their 53-man roster available when they visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday (1 p.m., CBS 4).
And coach Mike McDaniel suggested Friday that contrary to public speculation, the Dolphins aren’t looking to trade prominent players on their 53-man roster.
McDaniel said flatly on Friday that all swirling trade rumors involving Dolphins players are “baseless, currently. And that’s unfortunate. Personally, this time of year bothers me for the sake of individual players having where he’s playing questioned by rumors.”
Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips have all been the subjects of trade speculation on social media. As reported Thursday, the Dolphins are not looking to trade Waddle and Achane.
NFL Network and ESPN have reported potential interest from other teams in Chubb or Phillips, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported recently that the Dolphins are a “team to watch” regarding those two edge rushers. But no credible mainstream media has reported that the Dolphins are trying to trade any of those players
As for injuries... Campbell has a quadriceps issue and was the only Dolphins player who didn’t practice Thursday.
Center Aaron Brewer (pectoral) and tight end Darren Waller (hip/rest) remained limited during Thursday’s practice, but McDaniel expects them to play.
McDaniel said linebacker Tyrel Dodson is expected to clear concussion protocol and play on Sunday.
Cleveland tight end David Njoku (knee) and tackle Jack Conklin (concussion) missed a second consecutive practice Thursday.
McDaniel addressed other issues:
▪ Heavy wind gusts are expected during Sunday’s game, but the Dolphins don’t seem concerned.
“My philosophy is to make sure not to make the weather the opponent,” he said.
▪ The Dolphins took the ball when they won the coin toss last Sunday, which is highly unusual for McDaniel and many other coaches. He said Friday that he had considered doing that in previous weeks and sometimes makes the decision during the week.
▪ McDaniel loves how Jaylen Waddle has been playing: “I’ve always kind of looked at him as a No. 1 from his skill set and mindset.”
▪ Regarding receivers Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Malik Washington, McDaniel said he’s “trying to get those guys the ball and involved more. Those guys have done a lot of off-ball productive things that have earned them the right to be featured in situations as the primary. I need to get them the ball and get them involved. Nick’s physicality and what he can do in the run game [have helped]. Him and Malik have been phenomenal.”
This and that
▪ Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has tried to buoy Jaelan Phillips’ spirits after he allowed Justin Herbert to escape his grasp late in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers.
“I unfortunately have been in those shoes before,” Weaver, a former defensive lineman, said. “I remember one game when we were playing against Cleveland when I was playing, I missed a sack twice on the same play — brutal. Situationally for him, again it’s an awful spot to be in as a player because you truly feel like you let all of your teammates down.
“I told him, like, ‘The result of the football game never hinges on one play.’ I know that play is magnified because of when it happened, but we had multiple [opportunities] to win that game throughout.”
Phillips deleted X app (formerly Twitter) from his phone after receiving angry messages.
“It’s definitely hard,” Phillips said at his locker Wednesday. “That’s something where it’s disappointing as hell, and I’d do anything to have that back. But you can’t do anything about the past, so the only thing that would be worse than that play itself is to let that linger and let that keep me from being present and getting better.”
Reflecting on the near sack, Phillips said: “I had a great rush, put myself in position to make the play, but just slipped off. I mean, there’s a lot of things that go into it. I need to hold him down. I’m sweaty. He’s strong, he’s big. At the end of the day, keep my eyes open, wrap him up, get him down.”
▪ Cornerback Storm Duck, who started the opener before sustaining an ankle injury, is healthy, but he isn’t going to be given his starting job back.
In his absence, Rasul Douglas “has done an incredible job,” Weaver said. “It’s going to be hard to supplant him. It has to be earned.”
▪ After experimenting with boundary cornerback Juju Brents in the slot on a few plays against the Chargers, Weaver said that slot role is “probably not his ideal spot to play.”
Here’s more from Weaver on various players.
Here’s an early look at potential Dolphins draft options.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 11:48 AM.
