Miami Dolphins seek 'new identity' for 2025, but what is it? | Schad

MIAMI GARDENS — It's about action, more than words, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will tell you. But the words do set the tone.

And for McDaniel and the Dolphins, it seems there's been an intentional shift in tone.

The Dolphins have had talent. Pro Bowlers. All-Pros. Mega-contracts.

But not enough winning. No playoff wins, actually.

And so when McDaniel met with the team before what might be a little harder spring and summer of work, he set a tone with the players.

"Just like, we got to kind of get a new identity," veteran Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou said at the start of organized team activities. "And there's not gonna be a lot of slack and stuff like that. Everybody has to be on their s---, really."

McDaniel is not a tough guy/disciplinarian/dictator. But it's clear he wants to set a new tone.

Words are words are words, but...

Here are some of the words we're hearing and seeing already.

Connection. Consistency. Chemistry.

Mike McDaniel changes up Miami Dolphins ' tone for 2025

Those words were literally part of a recent Dolphins social media post.

The Dolphins want to be a better team in 2025, which means player investment and spending more time together, on and off the field.

McDaniel is asking for – and it seems he'll demand as necessary – consistency.

There must be a better consistency in all areas. And after missing the playoffs last season, players seem to be on alert. There will be changes if there is not improved performance in 2025.

More words? OK, we've got words.

Toughness. Reliability. Commitment.

"Personally, I feel like we're not soft," Kohou said. "We just, we just have to win more games and win the big ones."

Do Dolphins have to be tougher? More committed? Accountable?

Smart, incredible leaders like Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell have either retired or moved on.

And on the way out, each seemed to indicate a bit more could be given by Dolphins if they wanted to experience a championship effort. Be present. Be on time. Attention to detail.

Armstead, candid as ever, put the onus on McDaniel to enforce accountability.

"It starts with Mike," Armstead said after Miami's final game of 2024. "It starts with Mike. You know, he's coming with that approach that we're going to be a great team. Nothing less. And holding everybody to that standard every day..."

Accountability. A word, but an important one.

Players say Tyreek Hill is showing signs of improved leadership.

For talented lone wolf Jalen Ramsey , who will soon be traded, leadership was not a focus.

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The Dolphins have tried in recent years to assemble a team of star players with Pro Bowl pedigree and it's resulted in, again, no playoff wins.

There are still some really skilled players on this roster.

But what McDaniel seems to be emphasizing is that more than talent is going to be required to break through to another level of success.

Veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks was asked about "culture" and "work ethic" and he suggested it is headed in the right direction.

"I feel like as a leader, you gotta be the example," Brooks said. "And I think all the young guys that we've got, as a leader, you gotta be the example. And I think the young guys, all the young guys that we got in, they'll follow behind that.

"It's not just myself that's helped leading the charge. We've got several guys. And so honestly, I feel with us leading the charge and making that change or whatever you wanna say, I think a lot of the young guys that have come in, they went to work immediately. Which ultimately has kind of changed the, people wanna say the work ethic around the team or whatever, to our benefit."

McDaniel seems to be setting a 2025 tone with a bit more edge. And he's hoping, it seems, that the veteran players echo that tone in their leadership strategies.

"There’s no easy put a poster on the wall," McDaniel said, adding, "Your culture is defined by the people within it and how you execute your daily habits. The tonality of the focus of the team has been clear to me thus far, and we’ll see how it goes."

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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the  Miami Dolphins  and the NFL at  The Palm Beach Post . You can reach him at  jschad@pbpost.com  and follow him on  Instagram  and on X  @schadjoe . Sign up for Joe's free weekly  Dolphins Pulse Newsletter . Help support our work  by subscribing today .

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Mike McDaniel setting new tone, but knows words not enough