As McDaniel makes case to return, here should be caveats for him and Tagovailoa
Ten notes and thoughts after the Dolphins’ 34-10 win at the Jets on Sunday:
▪ The easiest, most financially prudent decision for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross keeps creeping closer to reality:
Give Mike McDaniel another season, give interim general manager Champ Kelly essentially a one-year audition in the full-time role and keep Tua Tagovailoa around because the team is already paying him, and it’s a weak class of free agent and draft-eligible quarterbacks.
With Miami (6-7) winning four in a row and McDaniel doing his part by crafting strong game plans during this stretch, this onward-with-McDaniel would seem the way the Dolphins’ future is headed, unless they unravel against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and New England.
It’s an easy decision for Ross to rationalize, because McDaniel — the long-time run game savant — has finally moved to the run-heavy approach that he likely should have implemented two Decembers ago, when it became clear that Tagovailoa couldn’t consistently beat good teams.
And there’s the financial component to all of this, even though that hasn’t driven Ross’ decisions historically. Ross already has committed to pay Tagovailoa $54 million next season, whether he’s on the team or not, and already committed to pay McDaniel several million dollars next season.
If he jettisons both, he will need to spend tens of millions for replacements.
But if Ross goes with the status quo, it needs to come with caveats. Here’s what he should tell McDaniel:
1). It’s fine to keep Tagovailoa, since we’re already paying him, but find affordable competition, ideally through the draft. Don’t gift him anything. Approach this as if you need to improve the position and find somebody better and cheaper long-term.
2). All of the things that you did to turn this around — streamlining your message to players, going to a power running game, displaying less tolerance for mistakes — must happen at the start of the season. Another bad start won’t be tolerated.
3). Stop squandering so many timeouts.
4). Don’t outsmart yourself, which McDaniel occasionally does, including that late first-half pass that Tagovailoa almost turned into a devastating backward pass.
Remember, Ross would like to make this work with McDaniel. The coach would need to give the owner a reason to dump him, and McDaniel hasn’t given him that reason during a stretch when Miami has decisively beaten Atlanta, Buffalo and the Jets and narrowly beaten Washington and New Orleans.
Ross, for most of six weeks, has seen evidence of the creativity and run-game designs and other elements that one Dolphins’ linemen explained would be badly missed if McDaniel is dismissed.
▪ With Tagovailoa, it’s not merely the physical limitations, including the reduced athleticism and mobility. This goes beyond the physical mistakes, too.
Tagovailoa keeps showing lapses in judgment that are difficult to overlook.
There were two more Sunday — the foolish throw to Jaylen Wright, when he wasn’t looking, late in the first half, a play that was dangerously close to a backward pass; and another risky throw to Wright that could easily have been intercepted.
Tagovailoa didn’t throw an interception Sunday, meaning he remains tied with Geno Smith for the league lead.
But this is telling: Among starters, Tagovailoa is third worst in the league in Pro Football Focus’ “turnove- worthy play percentage” metric. He has thrown a league-high 22 such passes.
In that metric, PFF factors in “throws that create a high risk of a turnover [interception, fumble, or even a strip sack], even if the ball isn’t actually intercepted or fumbled, reflecting poor decision-making or execution.”
So it’s not simply physical issues with Tagovailoa; his judgment seems off, whether it’s sliding short of a first down on a third-and-4 (last week, and several times in the past), calling out teammates for being late to meetings (and later apologizing), regrettably yelling “show me the money” after he got the big contract and throwing nearly two dozen turnover-worthy passes this season.
He finished Sunday 13 for 21 for 127 yards and a touchdown — equal to a 94.7 passer rating.
▪ Kudos to Wright for staying ready and churning out 107 yards on 24 carries, most of that coming after team MVP De’Von Achane left late in the first half with a rib injury.
Also credit the offensive line, which was again exemplary.
The Dolphins entered averaging 4.8 yards per carry (seventh in the league) and rolled over the Jets defense for 241 yards on the ground, at 5.8 yards a clip.
Achane averaged 13.1 yards per rush (7 for 92) before his injury.
Here was McDaniel’s update on his injury.
The Dolphins’ transformation to a dominating running team has been the best development of the season — and one that must be carried over to 2026.
▪ Give some credit to dismissed Chris Grier, whose final additions as GM are paying dividends: Rasul Douglas (top 20 in the league among cornerbacks in passer rating against), Jack Jones (much improved over his play with the Raiders last season), Cole Strange (who has done good work at right guard) and tight end Greg Dulcich, who had three catches for 41 yards and chipped in some strong blocks on Sunday.
Grier’s decision to trade up to draft Wright looked much better Sunday, and Minkah Fitzpatrick — acquired for disgruntled Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith — has far better coverage numbers than Ramsey, though he committed a pass interference penalty on Sunday.
Two things can be true: 1). The Dolphins were correct in moving on from Grier, who made too many mistakes. 2). Grier made some smart moves that warrant acknowledgement.
▪ Credit McDaniel for creativity on Miami’s first three drives, including a handoff to Jaylen Waddle off misdirection, a Darren Waller run on misdirection and a Malik Washington run for the first time in a month.
▪ This wasn’t a good day for Dolphins special teams; a week after they flubbed an onside kick, the Dolphins allowed a 19-yard run on a fake punt, a situation where the Dolphins should have been alert to the chance of chicanery.
Isaiah Williams’ 78-yard punt return touchdown was out of character for Miami, because the Dolphins had permitted just 115 punt return yards all season, which ranked in the top five of the league. That had been a credit to Jake Bailey’s excellence and decent coverage units.
(The Dolphins are 10th best in kickoff yards allowed at 1,137 but gave up a kickoff return TD against New England.)
Ethan Bonner missed the initial tackle attempt on Williams, and K.J. Britt then took a bad angle and Caleb Johnson squandered the final realistic chance to stop him. Johnson then left for good with a shoulder injury.
Elijah Campbell, another key special teams player, left for good with knee and ankle injuries.
▪ Quick stuff on defense: Zach Sieler — who didn’t have a sack in Miami’s first nine games — now has 3 ½ in Miami’s past three games after collecting 2 ½ on Sunday…
Douglas continues to make a compelling case to be re-signed in free agency. He had his second interception in two weeks and two nifty pass breakups on third down — one to John Metchie III and one to Adonai Mitchell…
McDaniel offered a soliloquy on Tyrel Dodson’s value last week, and he displayed that again with three big plays, including an interception that he grasped between his legs as he went to the ground…
Chop Robinson had another sack and forced a fumble, giving him 2 ½ sacks in the past two games…
Bonner one-handed his first career interception in the final two minutes. He needs to make a case to be part of the future…
Breece Hall, who entered averaging 4.5 yards per carry, was held to 3.1 per attempt (14 for 43).
The Dolphins held undrafted Missouri rookie Brady Cook to a 35.8 passer rating (14 for 30, 163 yards, two picks) after he replaced Tyrod Taylor, who left with a groin injury.
▪ Quick stuff on offense: Credit Alec Ingold for a couple of excellent blocks on big plays, including the 21-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle to begin Miami’s first possession and a great block on Achane’s 29-yard run when he suffered his rib injury…
Left guard Jonah Savaiinea had an excellent day as a run blocker. The continued improvement has been very encouraging perhaps PFF will finally remove him from the basement in its ranking of guards....
The Dolphins trust Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rewarded him with his first start. His playing time has continued to increase while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine’s has decreased.
▪ This and that: Miami had 14 first downs before the Jets managed one… Quincy Williams swerved by Aaron Brewer and beat Ollie Gordon II for a sack, the only one Miami allowed…
Strange nearly permitted his second sack of the season, but Tagovailoa threw the 6-yard TD to Waddle less than a second before Juwon Briggs got to him on Miami’s first possession…. Jordyn Brooks, who entered leading all NFL players in tackles by a large margin, had only five, including one for loss.
▪ The Bengals’ loss to Buffalo left the Dec. 21 Bengals-at-Dolphins game in grave jeopardy of being flexed out of “Sunday Night Football.”
On paper, there are three more attractive games available for NBC that day: New England-Baltimore, Tampa Bay-Carolina and Jacksonville-Denver. Several other games have been protected by CBS and Fox, who both have doubleheaders that day. A decision must be made by the Monday before the game.
Remember: The point of flex scheduling isn’t to give NBC the best available game of the day. It’s to get NBC out of a bad game. The loss by the Bengals (4-9) makes their game a bad game and one that should be flexed, even though the Dolphins have done their part by winning five of their last six.
Here’s what McDaniel said after the game.
This story was originally published December 7, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
