In the wake of what he called a “humbling” 31-6 loss to Cleveland, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday he will consider personnel changes after another new low for a coach who has now lost 20 of his past 31 games.
He said the four turnovers — including three interceptions by Tua Tagovailoa — and rampant penalties (11 for 103) are “two formulas that equal an immediate loss no matter what you do. No person, no player, no coach has their hands clean… We all need to look in the mirror.”
McDaniel suggested that player changes could be made, with his 1-6 team facing a difficult game next Sunday at Atlanta (1 p.m., CBS 4).
“If you are negatively impacting the team routinely, I have no choice but to assess a different player. I have to coach a lot better as well. We will find out who and what we’re made of… We will change our style of play if we have to. Everything is on the table.”
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel, at right, talks with Miami Dolphins Quarterbacks / Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks on late in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, October 19, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
He said those playing time decisions will be “tape driven.” But “before watching the tape, I don’t want to overconclude anything. [But] I will have no problem telling the truth of the tape.”
McDaniel said he told the players, “If you’re saying it’s not me, it’s you. We say we want to win games. So we have to do the things necessary to win games. Until we do that, we will lose games.
“I know the guys are tired. They wanted an [expletive] win and we didn’t get it. I’m looking for guys to lean into the team and not feel like, ‘Oh, I did all right. It’s not my fault.’ No, that’s not how it works.”
He said “one to two of” Tagovailoa’s three interceptions “were extremely preventable. He knows that.”
Overall, he said: “We have a lot of work to do. This was a step back for how we play football. I thought we had growth [before Sunday]. Generally, growth without results is a good thing for your team. In this case, it wasn’t.
“Three losses in this league, in a row, takes its toll. You will see the people you’re working with. These are professionals. We need to do our jobs better.”
He said when he speaks with his team, “you don’t hold anything back. You are very clear in front of the team. The tape never lies. There are probably 20 plays that are self-inflicted wounds. You can’t … beat the opponent if you beat yourself. We have a long work week ahead of us that we have to make very impactful.”
McDaniel said his players became frustrated during the game, and that worked against them.
“Guys have been frustrated with the season and believe in each other a lot more than our record would indicate. There were four drives sustained by penalties defensively, and I can feel that [frustration] building up. You come out of the gates second half, you have a fumble on special teams and a one-play pick six. The guys were frustrated throughout the game, and it didn’t help us. It made us worse. We had two late hits, two personal fouls, and we hadn’t majored in that.”
McDaniel said “it’s offensive” for him to discuss his job situation because he shouldn’t be “thinking about myself. “
▪ He said Quinn Ewers was the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Zach Wilson “because he gave us the best chance to win. It was an assessment for this game. It was this game specifically because of his practice week and the opponent.”
Here’s my postgame column on what Dolphins owner Stephen Ross must do now, and how he has failed the franchise.
This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM.
Barry Jackson
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.
