Welcome to the 2025 season edition of Miami Dolphins Q&A, where South Florida Sun Sentinel writers David Furones and Chris Perkins answer questions from readers.

​​Q: If Ross and Kelly and the fans are happy with mediocrity and losing seasons then bring McNotAGenius back because you’re not going to get more than that. Tua can stay and see if he swims or sinks. —@douglasanderson5516 on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

Dolphins owner Steve Ross and general manager Champ Kelly want to win. Coach Mike McDaniel wants to win. So does quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. My issue is the organization accepts mediocrity too often. We’ve seen that in various ways after the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. McDaniel has a 32-30 (.516) regular-season record. Tagovailoa has a 29-23 (.558) regular-season record under McDaniel. To me, having a .500ish record with all the talent the Dolphins have acquired screams mediocrity/status quo.

Q: Why do people keep saying McDaniel is an offensive genius? — @dedstrk​​ on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

I’ve never bought into the “genius” label but McDaniel is a sharp, bright offensive mind. He’s shown his best offensive creativity in the past two years, going with the dink-and-dunk offense last year when superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill was not completely healthy, and going to more of a run-based offense this year with Hill (knee) sidelined. Granted, it doesn’t take a genius to feed the ball to Hill or running back De’Von Achane. But McDaniel’s offense has shown more facets and diversity when he hasn’t prioritized throwing the ball deep to Hill.

Q: The Dolphins don’t break our hearts until week 18 or the wild-card game. So we should roll off 5 Ws from here. — @PhinSpin-TheMadGreek​​ on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

Hey, a dose of optimism! Five wins would mean the Dolphins (4-7) have a nine-win season. That’d be a strong finish. It most likely wouldn’t be enough for a playoff appearance. But it’d mean the the Dolphins defeat either Tampa Bay (6-4) or New England (9-2) in the final two games, and getting a victory over a likely playoff team would be a step forward. By the way, a 5-1 finish would also likely mean the Dolphins have a 4-1 record in their December/January games, which would be a huge improvement considering McDaniel has a career 7-10 (.412) record in December/January regular-season games. 

Q: Ross needs to carve Garfinkel out of the organization. Obviously, Garfinkel makes Ross a lot of money. Hard to say he hasn’t made Ross billions since he was hired. Maybe, that dynamic needs to … — @AK-ps2hk​​ on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

I’m repeatedly told that President and CEO Tom Garfinkel doesn’t dabble into football affairs very often, that he pretty much stays on the business side of the organization. It also seems Brandon Shore, the senior vice president of football and business administration, or salary capologist, as I call him, is gaining more power. Garfinkel has made Ross lots of money with F1 racing and Hard Rock Stadium improvements, but I’m told the on-field product doesn’t have many of his fingerprints. I’m choosing to believe that statement.

​​Q: Do we have a timeline on James Daniels yet? — @MrDorianSims on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

Veteran right guard James Daniels (pectoral) has been sidelined since the season opener against Indianapolis. He’s been eligible to come off of his mandatory four-game stay on the injured reserve list for weeks. McDaniel said he thinks the Dolphins could get a player or two back next week. My guess is that Daniels is in the spotlight in that regard. But tight end Darren Waller (pectoral), who is also on the injured reserve list, could also be a possible returnee. I’m unsure whether kicker Jason Sanders (hip) or center Andrew Meyer (elbow) returns from the injured reserve list next week.

Q: We’re undefeated without Grier. — @luisfelipebenito​​ on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

A few people have pointed out that the Dolphins have fared better since the dismissal of general manager Chris Grier, and a few others have also included edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (traded to Philadelphia) in that observation. Obviously there’s no correlation between Grier leaving and the Dolphins going 2-0 since his departure. But I should point out that two players — edge rusher Bradey Chubb and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — have spoken highly of Kelly during his short stint as interim GM. They regard him as hands-on with good player relations skills.

​​Q: Do you guys think the Dolphins shortcomings should get more blame on McDaniel (scheme/play-calling) or lack of player talent? — @chadcapener1132 on Dolphins Deep Dive w/Perk

Neither. I think strategy and philosophy — favoring speed and finesse over physicality and a run game — have been at the core of the Dolphins’ shortcomings. When you talk about scheme and play-calling, the slant toward speed and finesse negatively affects both areas. It also negatively affects player acquisition/talent. Prioritizing speed in player acquisition leads to flawed roster construction in a physical game, which has been an issue for years.

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