#miami-dolphins

#miami-dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS - When the Dolphins can't even win at home, things are in a bad place. And that's where we are after Sunday's heartbreaking 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Dolphins (1-5) are struggling to find anything they can do consistently well and they haven't found it yet. It seems coach Mike McDaniel's days are numbered. Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips said last week that this team isn't a "dumpster fire", but evidence says otherwise.

Brewer was expected to be available after coach Mike McDaniel said Friday he was "hopeful" despite Brewer being limited in the week's three practices. On Saturday, Miami did not sign another offensive lineman to the active roster or elevate one from the practice squad, meaning the unit will roll with its eight blockers already on the 53-man roster against the Chargers.

With the team depleted at the position, the team will be signing a cornerback to be named later, according to McDaniel, specifically one who can line up as a nickel. "Among several things, we will be adjusting our roster," McDaniel said. "We will be adding a nickel. ... We'll be adding a player, and then there will be some subsequent moves that we'll do throughout the week."

Free agent NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who spent last season with the Miami Dolphins, revealed in an interview released Tuesday that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs for 2024. Beckham told NFL podcast "The Pivot" of the positive drug test that would've occurred while he was with the Dolphins. The one-time star who turns 33 within a month said he has no intentions of retiring at this point in time, and Beckham would be subject to a six-game suspension upon any return in which he signs with a team.

We talked about the challenge ahead to get ready for the Chargers. And that was kind of the extent of it.

"I think that it's not necessarily a change from the way we approach it and the way we see it, and I think he's done a fantastic job, being an elite receiver playing with another elite receiver. "As far as his game, he's very, very much ready for this moment as he has seen himself as a 1, and we've approached it the same way."

Paul, the 2024 second-round pick, has been the star of the two-year class and the top performer in the offensive line. Among players who have played at last 182 snaps, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has him as the NFL's eighth-best offensive tackle (and offensive lineman), allowing one sack, three hurries and four pressures in 223 snaps (100 percent of the snaps).

"In the moment, there were a couple things that occurred that we thought Daniel's veteran presence would be able to help us with," offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Friday. "It was a decision made at the moment that we thought would help. Ultimately, we talked with Kion. He's a great guy and he understands and he's preparing. We're all working together to make sure we can be on the same page and be successful Monday."

"Certainly let them know about that multiple times," Dolphins secondary coach Brian Duker said Friday. "I made a point of it. Continuing to attack the football, obviously the forced fumble element is a big part of it. Just trying to punch at the ball and create opportunities to take shots on goal. And then the interceptions, it's more just a matter of good vision, put the quarterback under stressful situations, break and hoping both those things come to life."

The Dolphins entered fourth in the NFL in rushing average through two weeks while dead last in rushing attempts. Against the Bills, they ran a solid 25 times, compared to 34 pass attempts, for 130 yards - a 5.2 yards-per-carry clip. Buffalo struggles in run defense, one of the few areas in which the top dog in the AFC East is not elite. So it was certainly an area to exploit.