Episode 590: What Exactly Is the Dolphins Game Plan?

Episode 590: What Exactly Is the Dolphins Game Plan?

And we are off. Hi gang. Welcome back. It’s Monday, November 3rd. Uh we are now less than 24 hours before the NFL 2025 trade deadline. The Dolphins already made a move on Monday morning. There also is a lot of big news over the weekend. Some speculation with a about a possible benching of Tuatango Valoa. And to discuss all of that on today’s episode, I am joined by Dave Hyde, columnist for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Dave, fun times at Dolphins headquarter. Are they not? A lot to unpack. A lot to unpack from this. And uh there’s some muscle memory also of uh interim. Yep. Not not GMs though. I don’t think we’ve had an interim GM. So, we might have checked that box off uh this time. Yeah. I can’t I couldn’t recall. Somebody asked me that like last week or something and I could not remember an interim GM situation. Before we get to all of this and again there was a lot to unpack. Uh please remember to like, subscribe, comment, all that good stuff. For those who like listening to the podcast and not seeing my ugly mug, and who could blame you for that, there’s also there’s always the audio version of the podcast wherever you get your audio podcast, whether it be Google, Spotify, Apple, all that good stuff. And lastly, please check out the written content at miam dolphinssonsi.com where everything is free. Okay, I guess Dave, we will start since you have not been on on the on the show since the big news on Friday. Your re initial reaction to Chris Greer being let go or m mutual parting of the ways other than probably it’s about time. Yeah, overdue was my first uh reaction and and no, it couldn’t have surprised anybody. The only surprise was what I was told why it happened, which was um Steve Ross wanted some answers of what they were going to do with the trade deadline and Chris hadn’t made calls and what his idea was let people call him. Um, and I think at two and seven, Ross wanted someone to be a little more proactive in there. And so that that was the final straw. That obviously wasn’t the reason he was fired. It was just the last thing that happened to push Ross over the edge. Um, we may maybe we’re getting into semantics or I’m getting too picky here, but wouldn’t you imagine if you’re turn seven and you got some guys some either are veterans with big cap numbers or guys on one year contracts, wouldn’t you figure that team were going teams would call you anyway? Yeah. I I mean, but again, I’m sure Philadelphia uh was was looking at Chub or Jaylen Phillips and and you look at the tape and Jaylen Phillips was playing better. He’s going to cost you a little more, but Vic Fangio has a background, great guy, great teammate, um who’s going to give you everything. Um and I think it was a smart deal for both teams. the Dolphins. You know, Jaylen Phillips is a guy you’d love on your team. It’s just a tricky contract situation because of his two serious injuries the past two years. And how much do you all lot for that? And and so they hadn’t signed him, so get something for him at the very least. And of course, now they can stand in line and try to resign him if they want, which that never happens. I’m sure it has, but I don’t I don’t I’m sure it has. I’m sure someone will write in it has, but but the odds of it happening usually aren’t very good. Okay. But you you jumped ahead. You you jumped a couple of chapter into the book over here. So, let’s go let’s backtrack to to Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. News with Chris G, Mike McDaniel. Um, and the reporting from Friday on, it began with don’t be surprised if Mike McDaniel comes back in 2026. he’s going to be at least through the end of the season. And then the rap report report which was on Sunday morning was basically he really likes Mike and he wants to see him through wants to see through with him through next year. Um and then M McDaniel was asked Monday as as a the back end of a two-part question. The first part was his thoughts when Chris Greer was let go. And then if you could confirm that Steven Ross, I told him he would stay on through the end of the season and after a very lengthy answer about Chris Greer and how you know you develop a relationship with guys. Oh, conveniently skipped a second part of the question. Um, I don’t know if you picked up on that, but yeah, I mean that that there there’s uh some obfiscation going on there to uh use a big word that Mike might have used. Um, but you know, I I wrote a column and I was told Friday that uh Ross, Steve Ross wants Mike through the rest of the year at least. And that will come down to one of the prime driving forces in that is that he can work with Tua. And the the the idea is he could get whatever the most out of Matua. And from an ownership standpoint, they’re looking at the contract that Tua has, which is $99 million of dead cap money if they release them this year. um 54 million against the salary cap um into next year. Um so Steve Ross’s idea is um two is going to be here. We need someone to work with them. And so the rest of this the rest of this season of relatively inconsequent inconsequential football isn’t in inconsequential in the big picture because if McDaniel can keep the team from collapsing and win I I don’t know how many games or you know make it look like a functioning football team then Steve Ross would be more beholden to bring him back next year. I don’t I you know I I don’t know how to go far with any of this. That’s just what’s on the table. They want to bring him back um that they’re giving the rest of the season to prove he should come back next year. That’s the bottom line. Yeah. And I think we weren’t kidding when we said multiple times with when the Dolphins gave tour that contract, they basically married him through the 2026 season because Yeah. Absolutely. Um, absolutely. Yeah, the Dolphins could go the Denver Broncos route, but the with Denver Broncos with Russell Wilson who was 85 million, not 99. Um, not to say that it can’t be done. It’s one of those where it’s like, oof. And of course, the next question is what makes Steven Ross think? I mean, it’s wonderful that McDaniel can work wonders with Tuo, which he did to a certain degree in 2022 and 2023. Where’s that gotten the Dolphins the last two years? And why would we think it’s going to be any better in 2026 when the talent around, which we all know 20 really needs, probably isn’t going to be as good. Yeah, there’s no reason to think it would. It’d be a better season. I mean, um, you could think, okay, they’re going to draft a quarterback with the top pick. They’ll have two of their, too. I’m I’m just thinking, look, they’re in the rebuild when when when you trade Jen Phillips for a third round pick. That’s the official start or the official start was the firing of Chris Greer. I mean, but we’re there. Okay. And um here we go again. Another massive rebuild. And you know, it takes talent to find talent is what that’s sort of the lesson of the past 20 years with the Dolphins. You need talent in the front office and the coaching staff to find talent. And you know, beyond beyond what’s going to happen with Mike, that also will play into what who’s the general manager because if you know, is it Champ Kelly’s job, the interim the interim guy now? Is it his job? Is it is it We know it is through the rest of the season. Um, have they said, “Okay, we’ll keep that together.” Because can you go outside and get a general manager who would be married to Mike and Tua to start with in in his new That’d be very difficult. You’d certainly be limiting your prospects. Um, so um, you know, all this I I I don’t want to say this is so dolphin, but yep, this is so dolphin. Yeah, there’s expressions around the NFL. There’s a Chargers chargering. There’s a Falcons falconing, which I didn’t know there was a thing until before the Dolphins played the Falcons. And we definitely have the Dolphins dolphining. And a Dolphins doing is usually as it involves coaching and GM changes being made, you know, peace meal type of deal. That’s my prediction. My prediction is Champ Kelly is going to be the interim for this year. And then we’re running it back with two Mike McDaniel and Champ Kelly be partly because of the point you made. And if you go big game hunting for the hot shot GM candidates, generally speaking, those are guys who currently are in good situations as an assistant GM or as a secondary role with strong organizations and chances are they’re going to have good options. Why would they rush to take a job where they’re they’re tied and they’re told that’s your quarterback, that’s your head coach? Yeah. And then I mean it answers itself, right? I mean it’s it’s kind of a if if Ross and I I’ll go even further. If just by delaying the just by holding on to Mike through the rest of the season, you’re limiting the ability to go out and look what are the options out there are for Mike even. I I mean, and I throwing out there, I would talk to Lane Kein. I I mean, former NFL coach knows how to win as he’s proven somehow at Mississippi. I mean, I’m not saying I it’s a slam dunk or anything, but these are you can’t really have serious conversations with the with anybody while you have Mike here and while, you know, the future’s up in the air and and the interim GM’s up in the air of what to do because no one’s no one of who who has serious options is really going to talk to you. No, it’s it’s just weird. And and look, Mike McDaniel has good qualities as a head coach. I think his leadership qualities have come into question. Some of there’s some game management stuff that’s not great. The fact that they’re getting being outscored by an average of four points a game, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is a lot in the third quarter is not necessarily a great reflection on him. So, it’s like, okay, great. He got the most out of Tua in 2022 and 2023. Would that be reason enough to keep him? Yeah. And then the other part of the equation too is if the Dolphins are rolling with Mike McDaniel heading into next season, unless there’s a complete collapse, even more so than we’ve already seen is coaching the rest of the season to win games or at the very least for the Dolphins to be very competitive and not put out what we saw at Cleveland or against Baltimore, which means he’s going to play the more veteran players, guys who might not be around in 2026 or guys where the Dolphins have more information as opposed to giving extended playing time to young players with the idea of let’s see if these are guys we need to have with us as we move forward and is that really the best thing for the long-term health of the organization. Yeah, I think uh what is the game plan? What is the game plan is ultimately the question here, right? And that’s something they got to decide. And and um as you said, if if they’re telling Mike uh you got to show this team can play and play hard and win some games, and that’s that’s one game plan, you know, the other game plan is play all the young kids and develop and see what you got. Now, they they are playing almost all the young kids regardless. Um but but um it would certainly be a little change in mindset. You know, you know, my my read on Mike was they hired him. His number one priority was to find out who Tua was and he did that and and and he did it very well the first year. You you saw who what the strengths of Tua, the things he couldn’t do, etc. The mistake was he went all Ted Lasso and falling in love and and building him up and and saying I can win with this guy, win big. and and you know, we’ve seen that isn’t the case. And so at some point, he had to be that cold-hearted coach, that wholehearted football guy who looks at Tua and says, “Can we win and contend for a Super Bowl with his limitations, his inability to run, his physical his unathleticism, his physical size? Can we win with that?” And that’s really where the mistake was made when they gave him the big contract without question. And it was a big contract that Mike McDaniel pounded the table for by all reports. And it was at a also at a time and I think Mike McDaniel was a little bit after Tua also got a contract extension. And I and I’ve said it before and I know you guys are tired of hearing it, but it still boggles my mind that a head coach with two years left on his contract gets an extension while not having won a single playoff game. It’s and I and I will say I don’t have this information but I someone at NFLcom.com maybe Ian Rapaort reported it. They owe him $19 million over the next two years. Mike McDaniel. So this was reported a while a few weeks ago. So, and and assuming that’s true because they’re the NFL.com is the PR wing of the of the NFL teams and they’re they go, you know, handinand glove and so they rarely report anything that isn’t um coming through the team. And so, um, you know, you tack that on to the $99 million of Ted money and we’re up to almost $120 million that Steve Ross would have to swallow if if he moves on from these two. Along with the pride of being looked at as the owner who like as I wrote as I wrote in my column this weekend, Joe Robbie built the stadium for $110 million. So that to put in context what $120 million is. Yeah. And this is why, by the way, if folks, if you’re wondering why it is that generally speaking, all the major news is broken by NFL Network or ESPN, well, they’re partners with the NFL and with therefore with the teams and therefore, guess what? They get fed the information. Um, it’s not it’s not like it used to be in the old days where, you know, some of it would trickle to the big guys and all that. That’s the whole different ballgame. Um, speaking of Tua, on Monday, Mike McDaniel was asked us, Ian Rapaort in a column over the weekend throw out the idea of of a potential benching uh something with along the lines of do not dismiss the idea of a potential benching or oh no, benching is not off the table if the performance is bad. Mike McDaniel was asked and if there is a benching which could come and it could be if the Dolphins reach a point where like okay Mike you’re coming back in 2026 now let’s let’s evaluate our young guys so let’s see let’s put Q yours in there as long as Mike McDaniel is in I got to win games mode or be very competitive as he said today I’m going to play the guys who give us the best chance to win and at quarterback that’s Steuart Tongo Voa which was kind of to be expected. Yeah. And and I I gotta admit, let’s unless Quinn Eers or or uh you know, they aren’t even sure who the second quarterback is. So that tells you that neither of them is really impressing too much in the in the practices or workouts that they have. So this idea that they would play Quinners to see who he I I don’t really really understand where that’s coming from. Um, the other thing is all the players know who the best quarterback is, okay? And they might have questions about Tua, but as long as in practice he’s the best, he gives them the best chance, you got to play him because you’re going to lose the the rest of the team. Now, you might say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter the rest of team.” No, what the Dolphins need is they need these rookies, secondyear players to keep developing. They got to have those guys. They can’t just waste half a season and say, “We’ll come back next year and and uh um find answers then.” No, you you want to keep going right now. Yeah. Yeah. But I don’t say tank. Don’t say tank. No, no, no, no, no. I’m not in the in the tank category, but to me, I’m like maybe maybe it’s silly, but I like the idea of like let’s see what you got. For example, I’ll give you I’ll give you a player, Taj Washington. Okay, I would like at some point to see what he can do with extended playing time, his fumble against Baltimore now withstanding, for example, who’s got the big size. I’d like to see what he can do. Is it is are they the best players at their position right now to help the Dolphins win? No, Dolphins are not making the playoffs. So, at some point, again, and this is not going to happen until, for me, until Mike McDaniel is told, you’re definitely back for next year because otherwise it, you know, cut off his nose to spite his face. it makes no sense for him to play guys who are not best equipped to help him win games. But for me, as I as you look toward 2026, that’s more important than beating, I don’t know, the New Orleans the New Orleans Saints on November 30th or something. Yeah, I think at some point they have to make a decision on Mike. Either he’s he’s I’m I and I couldn’t commit to if if I was Ross, I couldn’t commit to next season. I mean, it’d make no sense to me. Um, so may maybe during the by-week, you know, that would be a all the conversation of the Dolphins have had is he’s here through the end of the season. So, when I throw this out there, this flies in the face of that, but that would be an exit ramp to to your point about playing young guys and all that stuff. Um, at the same time, I think you can work in young guys. Um, but at other positions, but quarterback’s a completely different animal, as we all know, on on the team. I I I mean, so Tua gives them their best chance to look like a functioning NFL offense. And and usually they do when he’s there. I’m not saying great. I’m not saying um you know his play this season has been anything but questionable at c at a lot of times. Um but he let’s not pretend that he’s just you know he’s he’s an awful quarterback. No, I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say he’s awful. uh he’s been in he’s been very inconsistent this year and again he’s got limitations that are that are very problematic and which is why and the biggest limitation right now he has is cap flexibility because then I see reports of like well go ahead and trade him sure good luck finding a team that’s taken on that contract good luck uh not seeing it okay let’s go back to the trade here it’s for those not aware of it it’s Jaylen Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third round pick the Eagles currently have two third round picks they their own. They have the one they got from the New York Jets in a trade uh involving Hassan Reic after the 2023 season. Dolphins got the later of the two, which is the Eagles own, which sucks. I’ll be honest with you. Getting a third round pick for Jaylen Phillips is actually very good work. There are reports out there that the Dolphins paid a good chunk of the remaining 6.5 million or 6.6 million of Jaylen Ramsey’s salary, which is on his fifth year option. You will become a free agent at the end of the year. And as I wrote on mdolphins.com, this was the eighth trade between the Dolphins and the Eagles in the past 11 years. Check it out. I graded every single one of them, including this one. And without without revealing the grade, I liked it because, and I’m going to say this as politely as I can, Jaylen Phillips is a great guy, great ambassador for ambassador for the Dolphins. We talked about players who are good players who are not so much don’t represent the Dolphins very well. Jon Phillips absolutely does. Um, solid player, but let’s Can we not re revi rewrite history here and make him out to be Miles Garrett? Uh, as I’m seeing for some more so on the Philadelphia side where they think they got like, you know, like a 15se second kind of guy. He’s a solid player. If he was if he was an impact player, I think the Dolphins might have been more inclined to actually extend him, give him a long-term contract extension. He wasn’t that guy. Plus, he’s got the injury history. So, getting a third for him, I’d say nice work. Well, I think he was on the road to being that big impact player when the injuries hit. I I I really do. He had eight he had eight sacks at back end of his rookie year and I thought he was on the road to be great and injuries hit and he’s still look Philadelphia’s leading pass rusher has 21 pressures. Jaylen Phillips has 23 this year. Okay. So, you can see why Philadelphia want him. They needed a pass rusher and and he’s effective. Um he was good this year. He wasn’t great. He wasn’t Pro Bowl worthy, anything like that. Um the question the the solid the the question for him is where’s he at with his injury. You know, usually it takes an Achilles injury. It it takes a while, a year, and then you’re back to normal. And he’s had two severe injuries and and you know, where’s he going to be in another year from all that? and does he get back on the road to I I really did. I thought he could be, you know, great player. Um, so we’ll differ on that, but but the bottom line to me, it’s a it’s one of these trades. You look at it. My immediate reaction is I get what both teams are doing. It makes sense for both sides. It does because again, the Eagles already have I think they already had eight or nine picks. They’re expecting like three compensatory picks, including another third rounder for losing Milton Williams to the New England Patriots. So, and they’re making a run. And another little fun fact, the last time the Dolphins traded a veteran to the Eagles, they went to the Super Bowl that year, and that veteran was Jay in 2017. So, um, we’re taping this. It’s about 5:00 PM on Monday afternoon. Again, as I mentioned, the deadline is at 400 PM Eastern. On Tuesday, as it stands right now, as we’re talking, Jaylen Phillips is the only player who has been traded before 4 p.m. on Tuesday. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bradley Chub join the club. Maybe Minka Fitzpatrick could be it wouldn’t floor me necessarily for a S Douglas wound up Matthew Judon if you can get something for him. I still hear people asking me about Jaylen Wright. I do not get the idea of tell trade trading Jaylen Wright considering the draft capital you gave up to gave him. He’s in his second year. He it started with an injury. You still don’t know what he is at running back. So why and folks please spare me the Jaylen Wadd talk unless you’re getting a first round pick plus which I don’t think you’re getting. I I agree with all that that uh Jaylen Wadd the the interesting thing here is I mean you had to you had to make a decision on Jaylen Phillips because he’s his contract’s ending. Jaylen Wadd 11 million dollars next year. That’s very comfortable contract for his talent. And and the larger point is, okay, since he’s under contract for next year, if you want to trade if if your plan becomes to trade him, you have the offseason to do so when there will be many more teams that might be wanting to get in the into the the uh the fight for him. So, um, unless, like you said, you’re blown away by a deal, I don’t see that happening. Minka, I think would I mean, if they could make it work, he’s is Did he turn 30? I think he’s turned 30. Uh, and and you know, he’s 15 million about. And I got to admit, I can’t tell on that a lot of guys on that defense who’s playing well, who and who’s not playing well. Um because there’s there’s just a lot more lot more not than our playing. Yeah. There there’s so is the guy so is making not making impactful plays because there’s so little impactful plays around him. Is it because um he’s just not an impactful player? I I don’t know. You know, I was looking that the Dolins have one interception this year. It’s a staggering number. It’s just and it’s make us it’s a staggering uh That’s not great. Um, Russell Douglas to me as actually Yes, I agree. Yes, he he’d be a I mean, you’re not going to get a lot from him. Let’s let’s What are you gonna Seventh round pick? Sixth round maybe. But but the point is if somebody’s looking very decent a a a stable NFL quarterback that somebody needs that to for the playoffs, then then absolutely he would be there. And one team that is looking for quarterbacks is the Green Bay Packers where okay where Douglas once played. Uh and I’m looking at MA also I remember him at training camp first of all if you recall it took a several days for him to speak to the media. Uh and then when he spoke to the media he he said all the right things. I mean made you know made it a point to say how happy he was to be coming back to South Florida. didn’t want to say anything about the Steelers, but I mean the the impression he gave was like not happy to be in South Florida. And if you go back to the last time he was in South Florida was at the start of the 2019 season when the Dolphins and the two games he played for Miami that year, they got beat 59 to 10 and 43 to nothing. Now he comes back to Miami and then it’s another situation where things have gone off the rails and Minka’s got to be thinking to himself, “Oh man, here we go again. Get me the hell out of here.” Um, it’s going to be easy to tie again 5 pm while we’re talking. Uh, only one trade made, but the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones apparently has said that the Cowboys have consummated a trade. And there’s some out there suggesting that it was for Minko. That’s that’s that’s too big a jump, sorry, too big a jump to cross right now, but something to keep an eye on. Um, and going back to Russul Douglas, Mike McDaniel said on Monday that he would not reel him out, rule him out for the game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday because of the toe injury he sustained against Baltimore last Thursday night. Um, who’s untouchable for you before before I let you go? Is there anybody where Patrick Paul? Okay. Um, be the consensus. Yeah, the question become okay. Devon Han. Okay. Where is he at? Because he’s your best offensive player. You’re gonna have to pay him. Yep. Um and this gets into the plan, the big picture plan of the Dolphins. What are they thinking? Are they thinking we’re three years away? where you know you need somebody to to assemble that big picture because if it’s three years which I don’t nobody looks three years shouldn’t anyways you can turn it around quicker if you have smart people but um that becomes a question because you could you know he’s an impactful player and and and teams would want him so I’m not saying trade him I’m just saying there has to be some type of a you know mindset what are we doing here. What are we doing? And what are we trying to do now? What are we trying to do in the off season? You know, are we back to collecting just draft picks for anybody? But, you know, you know, I I think is Patrick Paul the only untouchable? I’m trying to think who else uh um you know, what do we think of Jordan Brooks? I mean, he’s a great very good but for the right price, you would you would move on from him. Um Right. Because he’s not because he’s not cheap. the the the one of the beauties of Patrick Paul is he’s playing very well. He looks like he’s got a great future and he’s on a rookie contract. He’s on a he’s in his second year. That’s and those are the type of players when you’re rebuilding and and who did what other players like that did Chris Greer leave the Dolphins? Um like even even Chop is like on his rookie contract, but Chop has not been particularly impressive so far this season. So um I don’t know. Oh, fun times ahead for the Miami Dolphins. Uh, that’s that’s going to wrap it up. He is Dave Hyde. Check out his fine work at the South Florida Suns Sentinel sunset.com. Um, as always, please like, subscribe, comment, share, pass the word, all that good stuff. Check out the written content at Miami Dolphins onsi.com. We will be back here on Tuesday, maybe with a behind enemy lines discussion talking about the Buffalo Bills. I want to get the view the viewpoint of the Dolphins from an opponent’s side. So, that could be very interesting. I hope I hope they whoever my guest is take it takes it easy on the Dolphins and doesn’t take too many shots. But, we shall see. It’s fair game right now because the Dolphins again not going particularly well. Dave, thank you as always, my friend. Good seeing you, Alan. Everyone enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Miami Dolphins on SI Publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL) is joined by Dave Hyde from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel to break down the shake-up atop the Dolphins organization, the plan moving forward with Mike McDaniel and Tua, the trade of Jaelan Phillips, and more. Make sure to follow Alain on Twitter at @PoupartNFL and Blusky at @alainpoupart.bsky.social, and read his stories (free content) on Miami Dolphins on SI at miamidolphinsonsi.com.