Miami Dolphins Lack Leadership From Ownership, To General Manager, To Coach, To Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins lack talent, don't make enough plays, and obviously aren't winning. But the biggest area where they fall woefully short is leadership – because it is lacking in this organization, from ownership, to coaching, to the general manager and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
We have seen this franchise's obvious need for leadership in one form or another for years – starting when Stephen Ross took over as owner in 2009. His decisions have not just followed a pattern of rudderless management on a consistent basis, but have come with too many examples of supervision malpractice that are impossible to overcome because he is unaccountable to anyone else.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 12: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass the ball during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Dolphins Lack Of Leadership On Display
So, yes, it's been rough for Miami on the leadership front for years. But then Sunday happened. And that was stunning.
Not stunning in an impressive Sequoia tree sort of way. Stunning in an utter breakdown of core principles kind of way.
And it was everywhere.
The most obvious lack of leadership example came from Tagovailoa. Because what he did was lay bare the problems of an entire locker room for the world to hear over meetings that are supposed to be held with the utmost privacy.
In explaining what the team's problems are, Tagovailoa rightly started with leadership. But then he lost his mind.
"We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late," Tagovailoa said. "Guys not showing up to player-only meetings. There is a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make that mandatory? Do we not have to make that mandatory? So it's a lot of things of that nature that we got to get cleaned up. It starts with the little things like that."
Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Tagovailoa Commits Major Mistake
This little thing has now made the rounds everywhere on social media and on national television. And it has been universally panned by, well, everyone because it shows that in complaining about a lack of leadership, Tagovailoa displays a total lack of leadership.
He is a team captain. He is the starting quarterback. He is supposedly a leader on this team.
But as those words were spilling out of his mouth, he apparently had no idea the public damage he was doing to the dynamic behind locker room doors.
Why? Because not one player who attends those meetings that are meant to sort out issues in private should ever really trust Tagovailoa again. What happens, after all, the next time the quarterback throws three interceptions in a game and, out of frustration, spills his guts about that week's private meeting?
The amazing thing is Tagovailoa's utter ignorance about what he was doing. Moments before, he said, "We all got to look at ourselves, not pointing fingers."
And then he points a finger at the entire locker room.
Moments earlier, he said, "We can come together and we can talk about what we need this group to do..."
And then he strips naked those talks and the participants having them.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins and head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers talk after the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Mike McDaniel Approves Of Mistake
It is stunning. But it doesn't end there because Mike McDaniel was asked about his quarterback's comments and the coach whiffed on being a leader, too.
"Player-led meetings are extra things outside of what I demand," McDaniel said. "We’ve been very accountable to me. It sounds like there was something on [Tagovailoa's] mind with regard to the specific meetings with a couple of individuals that he was trying to get corrected by being direct with communication.
"I think that’s the only way to lead … Clearly, he’s sending a message, but from my standpoint, everything that I’ve asked of the guys, they have delivered on, and so, I’m sure whomever he’s talking to, they’ll deliver as well as he’s a direct communicator with his teammates."
McDaniel is applauding Tagovailoa for being "a direct communicator" after the quarterback actually communicated his complaints to reporters and television cameras instead of teammates.
McDaniel is asked about an outrageous thing Tagovailoa said, and his reaction is to make sure he absolves himself because it's not his meeting and those player-led meetings are outside what he's demanding.
And McDaniel, amazingly, believes Tagovailoa's approach is "the only way to lead."
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 12: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins and Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers embrace after the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Chris Grier Not A Leader, Either
What the actual heck?
The stunning thing is this game showed the Dolphins cannot rely on general manager Chris Grier to save the day, either. He's the guy who picked Tagovailoa in 2020 over Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who is a better player.
And Grier did that because, despite his personal questions about Tagovailoa over Herbert, Grier went with the majority opinion on the pick. He selected the smaller, less athletically gifted quarterback with a significant injury history.
He went with the group think because, ultimately, Grier is not a leader.
People who have previously worked for the Dolphins often mock Grier because they say his typical evaluation presentations cite what other people say about a player. But rarely in those evaluations does Grier say, "I believe" or "I think."
So, not a leader.
Remember, Grier kept his job with the Dolphins in January 2019 when coach Adam Gase and executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum were fired because he was told the team was going to tank the coming season, and he agreed to follow along.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 14: Owner Stephen M. Ross of the Miami Dolphins is seen prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Grier Agreed To Follow Tank Plan
Ross institutionalized that tank strategy that someone else gave him. That's right. Someone suggested he tank a full NFL season to gain the No. 1 overall selection in 2020 and followed the idea.
Ross then had Grier dutifully following orders to strip the roster. The owner even encouraged then-coach Brian Flores to lose games in 2019.
But when Flores refused and took leadership of an organization with a leadership void, Ross and Grier got rid of him and hired McDaniel, who had no other NFL head coach offer but was more pliable and not likely to enforce his will as Flores had.
Ross picked McDaniel two weeks after he told the world he refused to hire Jim Harbaugh because, as a major Michigan alumnus and benefactor, he didn't want to be the person to take Harbaugh away from his beloved university. He said that.
And on Sunday, there was Harbaugh beating Ross, McDaniel and the Dolphins.
There was Herbert outplaying the quarterback Grier picked.
And there was Tagovailoa giving details about a players-only meeting to the media while McDaniel approved.
Stunning.