The Miami Dolphins’ 2025 season has already taken a difficult turn. At 1-5 and without star receiver Tyreek Hill, the team has leaned on player-only meetings in an effort to regroup. What began as a reaction to a lopsided Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts has since become a recurring theme, with frustration building inside the locker room and questions about accountability growing louder each week.
The trend of player-only gatherings started after Miami’s 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the opener. Since then, the practice has remained a talking point inside the locker room. But after Sunday’s 27-26 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa admitted the meetings have not delivered the intended results.
“We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late,” Tua Tagovailoa said. “We have guys not showing up to player-only meetings.”
Tagovailoa had briefly lifted Miami with a fourth-quarter rally, engineering two touchdown drives to give the Dolphins a one-point lead with seconds remaining. But the defense faltered, allowing Los Angeles to march downfield and convert the decisive field goal.
When asked about the team’s direction, Tua Tagovailoa pointed to the need for collective improvement. “The only place we can go is next week,” he said. “We talk about figuring this out, getting it together collectively. I contributed to it with the three turnovers. You can’t do that and expect to win.”
Head coach Mike McDaniel, now in his fourth season, responded to his quarterback’s remarks by downplaying any rift. “Clearly he’s sending a message,” McDaniel said. “But from my standpoint, everything I’ve asked of guys, they’ve delivered on. And so I’m sure whoever he’s talking to, they’ll deliver.”
Tagovailoa’s afternoon was mixed. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 206 yards, throwing one touchdown but also three interceptions. One of those turnovers came on a screen pass, a mistake symbolic of Miami Dolphins’ uneven play.
The quarterback, a 2023 Pro Bowler who led the league in passing yards, is in the first year of a four-year, $212 million extension. His top target against the Chargers was Jaylen Waddle, who caught six passes for 95 yards.
With Tyreek Hill sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Miami Dolphins leaned heavily on running back De’Von Achane. The third-year back delivered 128 rushing yards on 16 carries, scoring twice and flashing his trademark speed.
“We’ve got to make sure that we hold everybody accountable,” Achane said. “As men, we signed that contract to be on this team. It don’t matter – practice, games, we still got to show up and make sure that we’re out there giving 100%.”
The Dolphins will look to regroup on the road next week against the 1-5 Cleveland Browns, searching for answers to salvage their season.
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