MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel made his expectations clear during mandatory minicamp on Wednesday: if the team wants to get over the hump, accountability must be the priority — on the field, in the locker room and behind the scenes.
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“The football program has to focus on football,” McDaniel said. “For that to happen, there’s a lot of things that can’t dominate people’s time, which is like, first and foremost, being on time, being accountable to each other and staying to the rules.”
And then, McDaniel delivered a line that stuck.
“Feeling very open as a team that, ‘Hey, it’s okay to call someone out when they deserve to be called out.’ And for those people … it’s okay to be called out as long as you change your f------ behavior, okay?”
The Dolphins appear to be embracing that tone, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who’s entering his sixth season with a sharper focus and a stronger voice.
“For me, I think what’s most important is I’ve been here for five years going on six,” Tagovailoa said. “Are you not tired of what we’ve done these past five years? If you are, then why aren’t we doing anything about it? What do we have to change?”
With left tackle Terron Armstead now retired, the Dolphins are retooling their offensive line around Tagovailoa.
Left tackle and former second round pick Patrick Paul heads into his sophomore season projected to start in Armstead’s place. Miami also added former Pittsburgh Steelers guard James Daniels in free agency and traded up to select guard/ tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, of Arizona, in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But the biggest change might not be the personnel — it’s the mindset.
“I think there is a culture shift,” Tagovailoa said. “I really do feel in my heart that this is a change of scenery for our guys in the locker room.”
Tagovailoa also reflected on a hip injury that slowed him earlier this offseason. While he declined to reveal the diagnosis, he said the pain began to ease in February and he’s adjusting his mindset around self-protection.
“I’ve got to take it into a sense where if this guy is here, get the ball out,” he said. “Just throw it away.”
The quarterback’s influence is extending off the field, too.
“You create that standard in the locker room, the guys follow and you’ve got to uphold it,” Tagovailoa added. “So you come into work knowing that they are looking to you to uphold that standard.”
With training camp just weeks away, Tagovailoa said he plans to stay sharp with a short vacation and light workouts in the Bahamas — but more importantly, he’s focused on pushing a locker room that finally feels ready to hold each other accountable.
And McDaniel made it clear: for the Dolphins to become contenders, that has to become the norm.
