Read the full transcript from Head Coach Mike McDaniel's press conference on July 25, 2025.
Q: Prior to starting, any update you can give us on OL Bayron Matos? It was good to hear that there was movement in extremities. How is he doing?
"That was – the time it took as he left the field, that's a tough moment for any team. We were really pumped to hear that has feeling and movement in all extremities and he's doing better and better, which is what we're focused on."
Q: You've got OL Aaron Brewer as well. What's caused him to not practice and do you expect him back by late preseason, regular season?
"He's not on PUP and we did that so he can participate with Tua (Tagovailoa) daily with some snaps and stuff, but it's a lower extremity, slight soft tissue. Not overly concerned. You should see him sooner than later – fact."
Q: QB Tua Tagovailoa said that WR Tyreek Hill and the team are still working on their relationship the other day following Tyreek's comments at the end of last season. When you have a situation like that, how do you as a coach kind of handle that? Are you hands off? Do you let the guys handle it? Or are you trying to sit both parties down and have them come together?
"I think what guys have discussed even in the media, in any relationship, trust is built through transparency and I think it's super important in situations to just open the air. A lot of conversations are had and I think what you're seeing is direct communication that's real, not fake. I don't think anyone was surprised by reading anybody's – within the team – these are open conversations that we're working towards and the thing is, is if you have the right intent, you have an opportunity to define yourself. That's a proactive thing that is a positive to me because what happens on the opposite side of individuals working towards a relationship; well, there's the bond and that's like all things. That's how you heal all those things. I'm proud of the work. I'm proud of the transparency. I think that's how men can better themselves and become a better version of themselves which pretty much what everybody wants."
Q: Yesterday you stepped into practice and stopped it a couple of times. I was just wondering about your process with how to do that. How do you determine when is a good time to interject in the practices versus letting things kind of play out?
"When you're observing it from the side, just do the inverse of what common sense would tell you because like for me, if things aren't going the way that I necessarily want them, that's a perfect game rep because you don't get to call timeout and quiet the crowd to make a point. Generally when things are frustrating me, I'm walking around and letting everyone know exactly how things need to adjust and try to work through it with the players on the field. If I'm stopping practice, I'm making a point within the structure of the practice. Maybe I'm emphasizing something that we're working on that day, could be emphasizing finishing something that we said we were going to start. Just points for guys to be focused on because again, I think the big thing that we're all trying to do is every day focus on actually what matters and solely that. So for me when I'm stopping practice, I'm trying to test the guys' focus, ask for something and see how they respond to that."
Q: At what point will you know that you need to go outside the roster for a cornerback?
"I think that defeats the nature of, really, our whole process. We are coaching, developing, evaluating and always trying to get the team better. So you are assessing your group, how an addition alters the entire group, and if we're better – not just the corners, not just like the entire team and how it affects it – and that's a daily process, really, with everything. So typically, there's a lot of directions you can go. If you have an injury or you're worried about a position, and that that timeline, you let the players decide a little bit, to a degree as well, because what type of day is Kader Kohou going to have today? He's going to tell me, same as the rest of the group. So I think you have to really fight the urge to predict the future and watch, see what you're working with and knowing exactly what's out there and that it literally could be any day, two weeks, yesterday – you get the drift."
Q: Could you theoretically put somebody out there for the opener and think "he's going to develop and by Game 4 or Game 6, Game 8, he's going to be where he needs to be on first team"?
"You think I could go in front of the team and say, 'Hey, we've got this guy that we're developing? Are we developing your career, everyone else?' You've got to be able to roll. That's why every practice is so important and a day of practice is an enormous amount of time. Like we have gotten so much work out of two days of practice and the conversation changes every day. What's awesome is players have the control over what that is by their effort and execution on a daily basis."
(What do you like about CB Cornell Armstrong, a corner who you just signed?) – "I have experience going against him, familiar with him and then just with interpersonal connections. I really like where this guy's minds at, where his talent is at. I think he has a chip on our shoulder and I like the way he goes about his business. I'm excited to add him to the group."
(What goes into the post-practice sprints that we've noticed?) – "It's a way for players to re-emphasize the importance of doing the little things the right way, It's something that when you're looking at ways to improve your team like right at the beginning of the controllables – are the yards lost and you didn't do a play? Pre-snap penalties, those type of things. So the nucleus of the locker room, the leaders of the locker room – they were put in charge of being the police after practice for all the things that the officials noted that were illegal."
(Are there any other new things that the leaders of the locker room have kind of implemented going along with what you were saying?) – "I couldn't list – I mean, each and every year you're looking yourself in the mirror. Every year that I have experience with certain guys in the locker room and the core of our locker room, I learn them and how to best impact them. I couldn't list how many things we've changed, but I think that's kind of the way I hold myself and the rest of the coaching staff and the rest of the organization responsible, is that you are not just doing something to do it or because you did it before, ever. That's not good enough. So we're always assessing everything. There's a good amount that has changed; there's a good amount that has stayed the same. You're evolving to people and when the people buy in, you know you're heading in the right direction."
(What did you learn about the offensive line during that stretch without OL Austin Jackson?) – "Kind of what I already knew – he's really good. I think Austin (Jackson) is quiet. He really, really speaks with how he works and I maybe have a different appreciation for how much he rubs off on his teammates, how much his fearless attack at his craft and his mental toughness to really put everything into something and then it not work sometimes and that not set you back which is a problem for most people. So I learned a lot about him and I think I have a better appreciation of how he rubs off on his teammates."
(Have you heard about Teddy Bridgewater's coaching suspension? Do you have any thoughts on both the suspension and also just his continued generosity in the broader Miami community?) – "I haven't. I have a great relationship with Teddy (Bridgewater) and I just have so much admiration for the things that he's done, but I haven't heard about that, so super inappropriate for me to talk about that."
(Where is CB Cam Smith at? He essentially got a challenge by General Manager Chris Grier I think this offseason saying that he's got to step up, you can't hold his hand anymore. How have you seen him enter camp and perform these past two days?) – "The first question was much easier. He's downstairs. (laughter) The idea where Cam (Smith) needs to be is really progressing in the dark. He is every day chopping wood and chasing technique, fundamentals and being one with his teammates. And that for a talented young player, it's boring, but that is the formula. So like two practices in – sweet. He knows that I care about the third practice today and then we keep stacking those, but I like where he's at today. What does that mean moving forward? We shall see, but so far, so great."
(How has OL Jonah Savaiinaea looked on the field?) – "First and foremost, it's interesting with young players, but you can get so much information by their veteran teammates and quite literally, I don't ask them, hey, because nice are nice guys and I'm the head coach so they'll say something; but you watch how the veterans interact with a rookie player. Got a lot to learn, love his approach, but you can tell the veterans believe in him. He's doing a great job. I'm fired up, because you have to earn that in a real way – veteran trust – and especially as a young guy where you're probably going to have errors here or there, so when veterans can see that he's made of the right stuff, that's the best news I could get."
(Same question on DT Kenneth Grant?) – "Yeah, he's been awesome. I think his emotional intelligence on this football team has been phenomenal – knowing that on a football team that's hungry, that is trying to diligently work like a pro as a first-round draft pick, the team wants to see a guy that knows he's a rookie, that knows that we need a lot from him and is willing to do whatever to be his very best. And that's what I see from Kenneth Grant and is one of the reasons we were so high on him, is because this is professional football. We needed his skill set to contribute and we couldn't hold our breath if we were going to get a guy that can be a force on our defense, so I think he's working relentlessly and I like where he's at right now and I want to see his game continue. I know the rest of the team does as well."
(What's the skill that you and General Manager Chris Grier and the scouting staff liked about WR Tahj Washington when you drafted him a year ago and has he regained those skills after the injury?) – "Tahj (Washington) was always – we were really excited to get the opportunity to draft him because he was a very, very good collegiate football player, but the biggest thing to me is if you are talented in movement and you're fast and you're not a giant guy, you have to be football-fearless. And football-fearless guys that are willing to play on the outside but make a tough catch on the inside, he is tougher than he is big and that is the biggest compliment I could pay to him because that's the commonality with guys of traits that are quick, fast; and in this league, that's kind of like the cutoff, is, 'all right, you don't have the toughness to get hit going across the middle and when it's hard to play.' So really like that about him and I like how he's really had a long journey where he just got a taste of stuff and then had a season-ender. So you can tell by the way he attacks the field that although it's an unfortunate piece of adversity to have the injury, he definitely used it as an opportunity to have perspective and attack trying to make the squad and have a role on this team with full force and vigor."
(Have you noticed any guys you can note that have stood out through their energy on the practice field or how vocal they are out there?) – "Yeah, I've seen a ton of guys with energy that the best way I could describe it is towards the football team. I think leaders, particularly the competitors that we have like Tua (Tagovailoa) and 'JB' (Jordyn Brooks), and I think out of the new guys Willie Gay (Jr.) has really, really provided a spark plug for us, Nick (Westbrook-Ikhine) has as well. But ultimately, I feel the energy is more focused on good football. It's not celebrating the result of the play; it's celebrating how people are attacking their jobs and how they're utilizing their technique and when a play is made from that, people are getting juiced. So overall, whether it's individuals, whether it's the addition of the new guys; I think it's all kind of a combination of all those things, but I'm seeing an energy that's less about offense versus defense and it's more about the Dolphins having the most competitive practice where you better be on your stuff or the opposite side is about to smoke you."
(RB Jaylen Wright talked about patience being one of the biggest areas of growth for him from Year 1 to Year 2. Just curious if you've seen that stage of patience out on the field?) – "Absolutely. I think a lot of times if you fixate on the desired result, you end up not giving the best version of yourself in your moment because in the times that you're not getting the opportunity, if you're thinking about not getting the opportunity; you're probably not going to be prepared for your opportunity. So what you have to do is focus on the correct things, which are the things that you can control and make sure your game is right for your opp. So I see him every day – we have a lot of talented players on the field and we have to distribute it amongst all the people in the running back room and all the eligibles. But when you are focused on your technique and fundamentals and your intensity and whatever that very, very focused piece of information is, then your opportunity comes and you're more in a flow state, so that's what I see from him, is that he's making more plays because he is focused on the right things."
(What are your early impressions of S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – "You get super pumped when you're like, 'Yes, that's what I was hoping for.' That's my initial impression – why? Because I see it, you know, a quiet guy that I engage with a mild manner. He's cool, but he's kind of mid energy in a building and then watch him put on a uniform and step on the grass, and you see a different energy and command. Just you can tell that's his sacred place on the football field. There's a couple plays yesterday that within the defensive system, he was able to utilize some of his football FBI and really disrupt a couple pass plays in particular that to you guys were just a random incompletion, but he was taking away where we were trying to go. And then I see a guy that doesn't underestimate the importance of earning his relationships within the team, like understanding that you need to get to know people before you can affect them or influence them or help them. So I see him really leaning into a lot of relationship building within the team which tells me what I already knew, that he somewhere sees himself as a leader of this team that wants to earn it the right way and that's how you do it."
(What was your reaction seeing CB Artie Burns go down in what had to be a tough moment so early in his Dolphins tenure?) – "It's hard when you see someone go down. For me, the journey hits me square in the eyes. For him, yeah, those are true tests for me as a coach, just like it is for the team because your heart goes out and then you have a lot of time with the teammates that we have here, there's an obligation to even the guy that just got hurt. That he got hurt trying to be a part of something he believes in, so we have to push that forward. It's very, very difficult and I know a lot of a lot of teammates have reached out and he's a very tough-minded person that has been through stuff before, so I'm confident that he'll get through this and it's just going to take time."
(What's the process like as a coach to get into training camp and kind of transition from a team that maybe you think you had or you aspire to try to construct throughout the offseason to the team that they tell you they are throughout this process in the preseason?) – "That's a really cool question to me because I think that from an integrity standpoint, I think it's super important that I coach the team for what they need to be coached on. They have to tell me who they are so I can reach them and push them in the right ways. And I think the biggest – I don't know, it's a very quick test, but you're adjusting on the fly very fast, is after your summer break, because technically, you don't know if anyone's done everything or nothing. You don't know where their bodies are at, so you find that out live speed, and then you feel the energy of the team and you can kind of set your direction for that team. What I found out with this team from coming back (from) the summer is it's the most in-shape they've been. They were ready to practice. So now I don't need to focus on how important these practices are. I need to focus on what's important within them. They already know it's that important. They've shown me by being in the best shape that they've been in before so it's always an adjustment. I think it's not about doing the perfect thing. It's about having the right intent and shooting your shot and I think players and teams respond to that."
