Now entering his fourth season with the Miami Dolphins, head coach Mike McDaniel said he’s still learning and growing on the job.
“For me, I don’t see a world where I can reliably expect people to develop if I’m not developing myself,” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “Results, regardless of a winning season or a losing season, my expectation is that the team is getting a better version of me. I demand a steady evolution from everybody involved, including the fan base and you sweet, sweet reporters.”
Development will be paramount for the Dolphins in 2025. Gone from the roster are several experienced veterans, including Terron Armstead, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and Calais Campbell. Much younger players are set to step into many of those holes.
But Miami isn’t exactly starting from scratch. The team also added a veteran leader to its secondary when it re-acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick in the trade that sent Ramsey and Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And although Fitzpatrick has stayed quiet since the deal was made, McDaniel made it clear Tuesday that the safety is happy to be back in South Florida.
“As you enter into negotiations in any sort of trade, you try to identify, first and foremost, that the player you’re receiving wants to play football for you,” McDaniel said. “We are excited… I’m elated to have Minkah added to the team because it’s an opportunity to have a player that I’ve been coaching off of, one who plays the position the way we want it played here. … It’s a real good fit, based on his skill set both athletically and in his ability to transition in the open field, along with his elite ball skills.”
Fitzpatrick also brings another critical element to the team’s overall growth: leadership.
“Leadership, it’s something that’s so important in this league. Minkah is a guy who puts everything into it,” McDaniel said. “He’s a football-first guy who wants to be around teammates that care about football, who are driven to win and write their own story. I was very confident this would be a place where he would fit right in.”
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Mike McDaniel explains Dolphins decision to target Minkah Fitzpatrick in trade
Reporting by Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
