Dolphins' McDaniel addresses Fitzpatrick, corner, injuries, more before first practice

Miami Herald

5 days ago

Minutes before taking the field for the team's first training camp session, coach Mike McDaniel raved about the addition of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
'We are elated to have Minkah on the team,' McDaniel said Wednesday is his first public comments since he was acquired from Pittsburgh June 30.
'He's a real good fit based on his skill set -- athletically and what he's able to do in transition in the open field. Elite ball skills and leadership. We were confident this would be a place he would fit right in. We have a lot of 'Bama guys. He couldn't get in the 29 jersey fast enough. I'm super pumped about his specific skill set.'
More than a year after the Dolphins drafted Fitzpatrick in 2018, he asked for a trade because of a disagreement with coach Brian Flores about how he would be used.
Asked if the Dolphins needed to make sure that Fitzpatrick wanted to play for Miami before making the trade with Pittsburgh, McDaniel suggested the Dolphins had confidence that he would be happy playing here but didn't elaborate.
McDaniel declined to comment on cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who was traded with tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers in the Fitzpatrick deal, a trade that also involved multiple third-day draft picks.
McDaniel addressed other issues:
▪ On receiver Tyreek Hill saying he has matured: 'He has had some real reflection up until this point. All he has shown me is relentless commitment dictating the conversation [about] who he wants to be as a father and leader of the team. He's come to work every day with vigor and determination.'
▪ McDaniel didn't say if Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler - who is due for a better contract - will practice but said he will be involved with 'football.' Sieler is at training camp but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined to say on his television segment if he would practice.
Sieler will make $7.8 million this season if he plays all 17 games, and has another $1.25 million in complicated bonuses. He's one of Miami's 10 highest-paid players in 2025.
He's scheduled to make another $8.1 million in 2026. Collectively, Sieler will earn a little less than $16 million in the next two seasons. There are currently 18 NFL defensive linemen who earn more than that $16 million in one season.
▪ Guard Liam Eichenberg and tight end Darren Waller will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list but can be removed at any time. Waller is working himself back into football shape after not playing last season.
Eichenberg's injury, which has not been disclosed, will sideline him for weeks but is not a season-ending injury. 'As tough as a player I've been around,' McDaniel said.
New free agent pickup Daniel Brunskill, a center/guard who was a starter in San Francisco (during McDaniel's time there) and Tennessee the past two seasons, 'not only helps the offensive line but helps the whole team,' McDaniel said.
With Eichenberg out indefinitely, Brunskill, for now, would be the front-runner to be the top backup to guards James Daniels and Jonah Savaiinaea and center Aaron Brewer. The Dolphins hope Savaiinaea can start as a rookie.
'To watch him develop his game and have a real career at several positions, it's cool to be a guy where you've been a part of the process,' McDaniel said of Brunskill, who was signed by Miami on Tuesday.
▪ Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is beginning training camp on the NFL's non-football injury list, but McDaniel said it is 'nothing that I'm worried about' and more precautionary.
▪ McDaniel, asked if he and general manager Chris Grier are looking to add a veteran cornerback, a positioned depleted by the trade of Ramsey and release of Kendall Fuller (who remains unsigned): 'Are we resisting getting better? We are not resisting getting better. I understand there are a lot of tweets, words, articles about a position.
If you have youth at a position, you have confidence in it [before others do]. We're not closing the door on anything. There are multiple players we talk about every day. Also very excited with some guys who have a lot to prove and are excited about the opportunity.'
The Dolphins have remained in discussions with veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas, according to a source.
▪ McDaniel, on the addition of Waller: 'I know a lot about Darren based on my relationship with [offensive coordinator] Frank Smith and how big a part they played in each other's careers. Life is not about avoiding trauma or problems. The opportunity to have a player that is hungry and healthy in mind, body and spirit and wants to do something for reasons you know are appropriate because he has had time to reflect.
'A lot of people hide from things; he doesn't. He already has built relationships in the team, which doesn't surprise me. I'm pumped he has the opportunity to put the finishing touches on his career' in Miami.
He said he's starting camp on the PUP list 'because you try to be responsible with it. He's a well-conditioned athlete who's in great shape. Being preventative and responsible as we gets his feet wet' was the thinking behind PUP.