Omar Kelly: Mike McDaniel must evolve to ensure his survival

MIAMI — What people say behind your back isn’t always flattering, but should serve as a reality check.

Or at least an opportunity to check yourself, and your approach.

It’ll probably cause pain and insecurity, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hear it because oftentimes self reflection is the best catalyst for change, and growth.

Want to know what people in the NFL call the Mike McDaniel-led Miami Dolphins?

“The Miami Country Club,” one NFL executive said this spring, referring to the Dolphins’ latest culture in the post Brian Flores era. “They went from the prison warden to the substitute teacher.”

And there it is. The Miami Dolphins’ current head coach is compared to a substitute teacher, many of whom spend all day babysitting a classroom instead of instructing it.

Full transparency, I like Mike McDaniel.

I believe in the Dolphins’ head coach, who has produced a 28-23 record in his three seasons at the helm in Miami.

You don’t accidentally coach a top ranked offense for two seasons (2022 and 2023), and gain a reputation as an offensive genius, innovate a league and sport that’s been around since 1869 without having talent.

That’s undeniable. But it doesn’t guarantee success in professional sports because so much comes into the equation.

When you coach 70-plus alpha males, people who grew up playing a violent, physical game, there’s a certain alpha dog personality required. There is a fear factor needed to lead them, and I’d be lying if I told you McDaniel, who I’ve affectionately nicknamed “McBuddy,” possessed it.

“Mike would rather sell you a dream than tell you the truth,” one player who spent multiple seasons with McDaniel said of Miami’s 42-year-old head coach.

And there it is. The Dolphins make what’s supposed to be a competitive environment too comfortable.

For three seasons, outside of the roster long shots, only a handful of people who have been a part of the Dolphins organization has feared for their job. Last year, three years into McDaniel’s tenure, three players (total) had lost their starting job based on performance.

“They don’t want people to compete. We need competition,” one prominent player said. “That’s why we’re a front running team. When we get punched in the mouth we don’t fight back.”

And that reputation has been evident in how McDaniel’s team has performed against playoff caliber opponents, and the late-season disappointments, which ironically predates McDaniel.

But it all comes back to McDaniel because this is the environment he’s created, where few people are held accountable for the things they do.

Last year’s player empowerment movement somewhat blew up in his face.

Outside of the team’s 2024 struggles, the Dolphins’ two best players — Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey — were viewed as handfuls to manage.

According to multiple sources, Ramsey and Hill’s antics and behavior contributed to two former Dolphins greats — Wes Welker and Sam Madison — losing their jobs as assistants on McDaniel’s staff.

The Dolphins struggled to hold both stars accountable, and I’m told it polluted the locker room because others started following their lead, showing up late for film study sessions and practices.

The fines McDaniel penalized them with wasn’t enough.

That’s part of the reason the Dolphins and Ramsey are mutually parting ways once June 1 arrives, because that’s when a Ramsey trade will create a $9.8 million cap space.

Even though Hill asked to be moved and then retracted that trade request, the reality is he’s a prisoner of the contract extension he signed last season, which makes his contract difficult to move.

And if we’re going to be transparent, if the Dolphins can get Hill to buy back into their program — the same one that helped him produce back-to-back 1,700 yard seasons, becoming the top rated player in the NFL according to the NFL Network’s player’s poll — he gives McDaniel and General Manager Chris Grier the best chance to save themselves, and their employees in a season where owner Steve Ross wanted the “status quo” won’t do.

However, there’s a fine line that needs to be walked when a player as immature and temperamental as Hill, who is going through major life changes considering he’s embarking on his first divorce.

Unraveling a family has taken down many great men and women, but it can also inspire focus, especially if others rally around you.

And ironically, that’s the same approach the 2025 Dolphins — the players who believe in McDaniel — must take this season to ensure his survival.

The one thing I respect the most about McDaniel is that he’s unique, and does things his own way.

He has a vision for how he wants to coach, and the type of team he wants to build, and has rarely strayed from it.

He believes firmly in player empowerment.

But now that empowerment needs to be put in the hands of players and people whom he’s certain will lead the Dolphins in the right direction, people that he’s certain won’t quit on the season, or quit on him.

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