Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle addresses 'rat poison' Mike McDaniel rumor

After the Miami Dolphins fell to 0-2 on the season via a 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots this past Sunday, multiple Miami players came to the defense of head coach Mike McDaniel amid rumors suggesting McDaniel could be fired before the campaign comes to an end. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was asked about outsiders calling for McDaniel to be shown the door. 

Jaylen Waddle ignoring "rat poison" topic

"To be honest, I don’t really see it," Waddle explained, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "I’m really not too much on the Internet and stuff like that. I come from the cloth of [Alabama]. We don’t listen to all of that 'rat poison' stuff that we called it back in the day."

Waddle's take doesn't erase the fact that the Dolphins are responsible for the league's second-worst point differential (-31) after two weeks of action. According to ESPN stats, Miami ranks 31st in opponent points scored per game (33.0) and 26th in yards allowed per contest (375.5). That leaky defense now has to face a 2-0 Buffalo Bills side that features reigning Most Valuable Player Josh Allen on Thursday night. 

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET listed the Dolphins as massive 12.5-point underdogs against Buffalo. 

"He is not bothered," Waddle said about how McDaniel is handling the constant questions about his job security. "Mike is going to be himself. He’s always stayed poised and always looked out for what’s in the team’s best interest inside and out. Mike’s just been Mike." 

Dolphins aren't looking for "secret sauce" to save season

Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold suggested those inside the locker room haven't lost faith in what they can achieve under McDaniel. 

"I think inside the building, inside the facility, a lot of that noise stops," Ingold said. "I think that the trust and belief comes through time on task and working together and understanding the problems that we need to solve as a unit, as a group. And obviously when the results are losses, noise can be louder, but at the end of the day, the process of improvement, the process of gaining trust...and throughout a year for guys to respond and continue to improve and look in the mirror and not finger point and continue to find ways to get better, there’s no secret message, there’s no secret sauce and that’s the way forward. We need to make it right, and there’s no hiding from that." 

McDaniel failed to guide Miami to a postseason win across his first two seasons in charge before the 2024 Dolphins went 8-9. On Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Miami at +25000 betting odds to make the playoffs for the ongoing campaign. 

The harsh truth of the matter is that McDaniel receiving public votes of confidence from his players in September may not mean much regarding his status if the Dolphins have a losing record come January 2026.