I have no timetable on James Daniels," coach Mike McDaniel said Monday, as his team returned from the bye week that followed an overseas trip to Madrid, Spain. "I don't want to arbitrarily say he is or he isn't (playing this season), but I don't really know if he will return or not. So that's kind of where I'm at.
MIAMI GARDENS - Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller will return to practice this week as he works his way back from injured reserve. Waller will be designated for return at Wednesday's practice, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. That will open up a 21-day practice window for him to get activated from IR ahead of one of the team's upcoming games, beginning with the New Orleans Saints at home on Sunday.
The first time that I really noticed Lt. Commander Joe Cardona was when he was doing pass defense drills with the Dolphins linebackers. Cardona, a 33-year-old supply and logistics officer attached to a West Coast-based Navy special warfare unit, seemed to move pretty well for a long snapper. Yes, Lt. Commander Joe Cardona is Dolphins long snapper Joe Cardona, perhaps the most intriguing guy in the locker room. Cardona attended the Naval Academy and is an active reservist in the Navy.
MIAMI GARDENS - The Miami Dolphins signed cornerback A.J. Green from the Los Angeles Rams practice squad on Wednesday and placed cornerback JuJu Brents (foot) on the injured reserve list. Green, 27, has made two starts in 36 career games. The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Green has totaled 26 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defended and two recovered fumbles. He has 14 special teams tackles.
MADRID - The Miami Dolphins are coming back home from Spain with some momentum. Cornerback Jack Jones intercepted the first pass of overtime and kicker Riley Patterson kicked the winning 29-yard field goal as the Dolphins' trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the NFL's first game in Spain was a successful one, topping Washington, 16-13, early in the extra period. Miami (4-7) has strung together two consecutive wins for the first time all season after last week's scintillating 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills.
"The way the National Football League is, is you have an outcome, you have different things - the trade deadline right next to a major move from the front office standpoint - and from the outside looking in, it could appear that that's a recipe for distraction. What I can go off of is my feet-on-the-ground observation and relying upon the leaders and the captains of this football team to show me where they're at."
And so in a week where the priority clearly wasn't winning, the owner said the priority is winning starting Sunday against Buffalo at Hard Rock Stadium if jobs are to be kept, starting with coach Mike McDaniel's. Let's fold that demand into recent events: The Dolphins fired general manager Chris Grier (finally), traded their best pass rusher in Jaelan Phillips (smartly) and tried to trade most anyone else on the roster but found no takers (talk about deflating).
Conner was a feel-good story as a rookie, making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Miami's first season with coach Mike McDaniel at the helm, along with offensive coordinator Frank Smith and tight ends coach Jon Embree. Conner was a converted college wide receiver out of Idaho State and seen as a developmental prospect with potential. He played 13 games as a rookie but mostly on special teams and was only targeted three times that season, without a catch.
The Ravens and Bills can offer the Dolphins lessons in the value of being able to win in more than one way, the importance of the trenches, the role of physicality, and the significance of being able to win on the road. The Dolphins' next incarnation should prioritize all of those things in the same fashion that Baltimore and Buffalo have prioritized them. The Dolphins (2-7) must make major changes in strategy and philosophy.
And the Dolphins can understand the additional trouble they're in by looking at their salary-cap hell. But the full view of their trouble didn't come in focus until Tuesday's trade deadline blindsided everyone with this conclusion: You'd rather be the stinkin' New York Jets right now than the Dolphins. Just typing that previous sentence makes me think it's suddenly very hot in here. Is this what a panic attack feels like?
MIAMI GARDENS - The Miami Dolphins played their most complete game of the season in Sunday's 34-10 victory at Atlanta. The run defense finally lived up to expectations. The offense, playing without tight end Darren Waller (pectoral), put up a season-high in points and was aided by offensive coordinator Frank Smith being on the sideline instead of upstairs in the coaches box. Special teams had two field goals and a punt placed inside the 20-yard line.
"Well, it's not slow and passive. I can tell you that," Smith said. "It's just like all players are looking for in the moment. They want clarity. Clear, concise, consistent communication. You're seeing what they're experiencing in real time, you live with it. "I always felt my job as a position coach, I played the game with them. So every ounce of my energy was, I know the play, I'm in there with them, I'm experiencing with them, I'm able to help them with them,
Phillips has seemingly become one of the top players available across the NFL ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. The Dolphins fell to 2-7 following their loss to the Ravens on Thursday and parted ways with their general manager on Friday, raising the speculation that they could be trading players in the coming days. Phillips hasn't been the reason for the Dolphins' poor play, logging a sack on Thursday and two sacks in the last three games.
