Offensive changes appear to be on the horizon in Miami amid a dreadful slump in the Mike McDaniel era.
In the wake of the Dolphins’ third straight defeat — an ugly 31-12 home loss to the Titans on “Monday Night Football” — coach McDaniel said afterward “everything is on the table” as Miami looks to rebound from a 1-3 start.
“There was a tremendous disconnect between preparation and execution,” McDaniel said. “So, there was a multitude of contributors to it, I believe, but I have to check the tape out.”
Still without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who remains on injured reserve after suffering a scary concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Bills, the Dolphins installed the recently signed Tyler Huntley under center Monday after backup Skylar Thompson suffered an injury the previous week.
The former Ravens quarterback went 14-for-22 for 96 yards and lost a fumble.
Huntley later stated he has to “hone into being on time” with the likes of explosive wideouts Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, whose frustration boiled over on the sideline Monday.
McDaniel, now in his third season in Miami — where he had started 3-1 in back-to-back years — added Monday that despite efforts made elsewhere, the reality is, the team is “not even close to good enough.”
“Bottom line is it doesn’t matter what we’re doing behind the scenes. On the field, that’s not even close to good enough, so you just have to go back to the drawing board and assess very critically,” he said.
The Dolphins tallied 184 yards on offense Monday and converted just two of 12 third downs.
They scored their first touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Fullback Alec Ingold said the accountability for the offensive woes lies within the unit as a whole.
“The quarterback is obviously a very important piece of that puzzle, but we need 10 other guys to be performing and executing,” said Ingold, a 2023 Pro Bowler.
“It’s a performance-based business that we’re all a part of, so I think it’s more than fair, and I think that’s where you know we’re doing the same thing internally. And to shy away from that because you’re not getting the results I think is weak-minded, and I think we have to we have to attack that; we have to lean into this uncomfortable moment to see what type of team we are and what type of human beings we are.”
The Dolphins next visit the Patriots (1-3) on Sunday.
