Everything unraveled early in the season for the Dolphins when Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion and was ruled out for at least four games. Without a reliable backup quarterback, Miami struggled to stay competitive and dropped all of those matchups. Despite Tua’s return and a strong late-season push, the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time under head coach Mike McDaniel.
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In his first two seasons, McDaniel helped Miami finish second in the AFC East and reach the postseason, even though the team couldn’t get past the Wild Card round either time. Still, that was a big step forward for a franchise that hadn’t made the playoffs in five straight seasons before his arrival, and only qualified three times since 2001, never in back-to-back years.
But with the talent Miami has, particularly on offense, expectations are much higher. Simply making the playoffs is now the bare minimum, and missing them is unacceptable. So what needs to change?
Former Dolphins wide receiver O.J. McDuffie spoke with The SportsRush in an exclusive interview, highlighting Miami’s struggles and offering his thoughts on how McDaniel and the team can get back on track.
According to McDuffie, it starts with a cultural shift—building a team identity rooted in professionalism, accountability, and discipline. And that transformation has to begin at the top. McDaniel must cast the first stone, establish clear principles, and enforce them consistently. In the NFL, success is driven by structure, and every player is expected to carry himself like a professional from day one.
McDuffie pointed out that players need to leave behind the mindset they carried in college or high school, where coaches showed leniency to top talents. In the league, they treat you as a grown man, who they expect to handle your business and represent the franchise with maturity and professionalism every time you step on the field.
To build a winning culture, everyone in the organization must take ownership of their role, but it’s the head coach who sets the tone. Mike McDaniel must lay the foundation, but it’s up to the leaders in the locker room to carry that message forward.
” Something has to give. When we talk about culture, responsibility, and accountability, those words right there are foremost. It starts at the top. It really starts with Mike, and Mike has got to be the one that’s got to keep everybody in line. Everybody got to be professional. That’s the key. We are not in college or high school anymore. Do your job, let Mike do his job. If everybody does their job, and they do it professionally, you are going to have a successful program.”
McDuffie referenced the Patriots as the gold standard for professionalism. Under Bill Belichick, discipline was non-negotiable, and his word was gospel. Leaders like Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel ensured that everyone in the building bought into the system and followed it to perfection.
The Dolphins need a similar approach. Mike McDaniel has to be the architect of that culture, but players like Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill must enforce it. While the quarterback is traditionally the team’s leader, in Miami, it’s the Cheetah who carries that weight. Hill needs to embrace that role, stop the complaints, lead by example, and help drive this team back to the postseason and beyond.
” It starts with Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, and then the rest of the team fall in line. Tyreek’s probably our best player. So he has to lead by example too. So he can be up there- Mike McDaniel, Tua and Tyreek and rest of the team fall in line. So we need Tyreek to step up in that leadership role and be the guy that is also doing things right, shpwing our team right example on how to be successful.”
— Josh McCaffrey (@JoshMcCaff911) July 26, 2025
The odds aren’t in the Dolphins’ favor this season. Sportsbooks have them projected to win just 8.5 games, with +190 odds to make the playoffs, the 10th lowest in the NFL. If Miami wants to defy those expectations and return to the postseason, it’ll take more than just talent.
They’ll need accountability, discipline, sacrifice, and strong leadership from the top down. And above all, they must stay healthy and have every player fully committed to the mission. That’s the only way this team can rise above the noise and prove the doubters wrong.
