Dolphins’ McDaniel discusses a big win, the Achane/Waddle trade talks
For the first time on a Sunday afternoon since 2024, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel had reason to smile after a game at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Good day at the office for sure,” he said after a 30-13 stomping of the Bills, Miami’s first afternoon home win all calendar year and just their third win of the season.
“It was complete effort. I was very proud of our resolve and focus to get the job done. We’ve been looking for a three-phase game against a division opponent for some time.
“It’s awesome because they deserve it. It’s not a surprise to me. We wanted to show people we are better than our record. It’s pretty obvious from their play that they didn’t believe their season was over.”
McDaniel also addressed the team’s decision not to trade receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane, who both had big days Sunday.
“Our team’s decision — fortunately I’m part of the team — I’m happy with our collective decision,” he said. “[There’s] frustration every trade deadline because only 30% of the information is reported.
“It’s very normal for people to check in if you have a losing record. That’s autopilot of the National Football League, see if anyone is willing to check in and see if you’re willing to let go of your best players.”
McDaniel said at “2-7, 10 times out of 10 you’re going to get calls on every player that any team wants. I never once thought about those dudes not as a Dolphin. It’s only healthy business not to turn your phone off. I would hope they would report every player inquired about [in the league] and that would dilute the headline.”
McDaniel addressed other issues:
▪ He said he called timeout before the first play of the game, after a dubious penalty called on Alec Ingold, because he wanted “to have an information-gathering session [with the game officials]. We had a nice direct conversation and moved on with our lives.”
▪ On Tua Tagovailoa, who threw two touchdowns (including a beautiful deep ball to Waddle) but also two deep-ball interceptions in what essentially served as punts:
“He played really well. I know the mental toughness of him because of his ability to flourish in those situations. He showed the way to the team.
“I asked him to be aggressive on a couple of plays and not worry about the result; if it was a deep play, give our guys a shot down the field. That’s how you win games when you put aside stat sheets to be aggressive and challenge the defense. If you are going to take risks, you can’t be afraid of the end result.”
▪ On his players: “They’ve made the decision to continue to believe and continue to invest in each other. That is paid back to you if you have... mental fortitude and toughness.”
Here are my 10 thoughts and notes on the win, including why the Dolphins are right not to tank this time.
This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 4:36 PM.
