Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has emphasized speed in building his offense, but new Dolphins running back Alexander Mattison says he was brought in to add some power.
Mattison said he talked to McDaniel when he signed with the Dolphins and knows he was brought in to add a physical element to what the Dolphins do.
“I was excited about coming over,” Mattison said. “It’s one of those things you look at. It’s an exciting offense. It’s an exciting team to be a part of. So, definitely is one of those things where I look at it and I see a lot of benefits for me being a part of this offense. And of course, you know, he told me to bring my big boy pads down to South Beach. So I understand, you know, I’m going to bring a different level of physicality. And that’s what’s expected of me and what I need to bring to the table. So, yeah, I’m excited about that part as well.”
The Dolphins have struggled in short-yardage running, and Mattison said he thinks that’s an area where he can help them improve.
“I do know that, you know, the physicality and me being a bigger bruiser type of back is something that was mentioned when we talked,” Mattison said. So yeah, definitely expect to be in a role of using my pads and using my physicality and bringing that little spark to the offense.”
Mattison spent last year in Las Vegas and averaged a career-low 3.2 yards per carry, but the Dolphins aren’t asking him to make big plays. They’re asking him to pick up the tough yards. And that’s something Mattison is confident he can do.
As he prepares for the 2025 NFL draft, LSU tight end Mason Taylor is getting plenty of advice from his father, Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, and his uncle, five-time All-Pro linebacker Zach Thomas.
Taylor said at LSU’s Pro Day that his dad and uncle have both told him that it’s a grind going from college to the NFL, but a rewarding one.
“They’ve told me it’s a long process,” Taylor said. “It’s one of the longest years of your life, up until rookie minicamp in the season, but really just staying in tune with my discipline and kind of working at it, like I’ve been for the past three months, and then you’re switching over to visits, really just being where your feet are and being yourself, so enjoying the process, being where your feet are, being yourself to all these teams, and really just selling yourself and not anything else.”
Taylor was a three-year starting tight end at LSU and caught 129 passes for 1,308 yards in his college career. He projects as a second-round pick, which would beat both his father (a third-round pick in 1997) and his uncle (a fifth-round pick in 1996).
During his time with the Jets, Zach Wilson took plenty of criticism for never becoming the franchise quarterback he was expected to be as the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. But the Jets also took plenty of criticism for not developing Wilson. And Wilson says that in Miami now, he’s in a place where he can continue to grow as a quarterback.
Wilson said Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is everything he wants in a coach who can bring out the best in him as a quarterback.
“I think just extremely raw, his ability to just be completely himself every single day is I think what you want in a coach,” Wilson said. “Somebody that is going to give you exactly the same guy every single day and obviously he’s a phenomenal coach and shows how much he cares and invests in you, and so those are some of the qualities I’m just the most excited for.”
Backup quarterback for the Dolphins is one of the most scrutinized jobs in the NFL, given the injury history of starter Tua Tagovailoa. But when asked if he feels pressure, Wilson said he’s ready for whatever comes at him.
“I don’t know if it’s pressure, I mean luckily I’ve played in a lot of games in the NFL so far, and so it’s just the ability to step in and make the offense feel like nothing’s changed from a leadership standpoint, just command of the huddle getting guys the information they need on each and every play and not skipping a beat kind of mentality going in there that everyone feels comfortable that they’re able to completely do exactly what they’ve been doing,” Wilson said.
The Dolphins hope they never need to turn to Wilson. But he thinks that he’ll fit right in with McDaniel’s offense.
Punter Ryan Stonehouse has a big leg. It wasn’t big enough to get him a fourth season in Tennessee.
The Titans opted not to re-sign Stonehouse, nor to apply a restricted free agency tender. He left via free agency for the Dolphins.
“I was surprised,” Stonehouse told reporters earlier this week regarding Tennessee’s decision to move on. “I think a lot of other people were as well. I truly didn’t expect it. I’m a guy that I like to be where my feet are, been training in that building ever since I stepped foot in it three years ago. I thought it would be a little bit different, just more clarity would have been nice, but it is what it is and I’m excited for this new opportunity.”
He approaches the new opportunity with a familiar motivation.
“I’ve certainly built my career off of not being the first one picked,” Stonehouse said. “Obviously, I wasn’t drafted. I didn’t have very many opportunities after the draft — Tennessee was one of them. So I kind of took that as a chip on my shoulder and I truly felt like that’s kind of where my career has taken me. Whether that was college, I didn’t really have very many scholarship offers. Colorado State took a chance on me. Same what I said in high school, I only played on varsity one year; I had to compete for that job. So I really truly have built a career off of competition. Yeah, I think there was some things about natural fits and I actually truly believe the Dolphins are the best fit for me. I’ve kind of come to realize that being in the league for three years now that fit matters so much and understanding the player that I am matters a lot — how to use me as a weapon is truly something that I thank Craig Aukerman and Chase Blackburn for when they brought me into Tennessee. It was very important for me to have a good fit, so I truly believe Miami is that place.”
Stonehouse averaged 53.1 gross yards per punt in 2022 and in 2023. Last year, he averaged 50.6 yards per punt. He was named a second-team All-Pro as a rookie.
The NFL will play seven regular-season games outside the United States in 2025.
Although the league has discussed as many as eight international games, the NFL confirmed that the seven teams that have already announced they will give up home games to play overseas will be all of them this year.
Three regular-season games will be played in London, with the Browns and Jets giving up home games to play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jaguars giving up a home game to play at Wembley Stadium.
For the second straight year, the opening Friday of the NFL season will be in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the Chargers playing a home game at Arena Corinthians.
Germany will host its fourth NFL regular-season game, and for the first time that game will be in Berlin, with the Colts making Olympiastadion their home.
Spain will have its first NFL regular-season game with the Dolphins playing a home game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
And Ireland will get an NFL game for the first time with the Steelers playing at Croke Park in Dublin.
The league is showing no signs of slowing down on its aspirations for international growth, and 2026 will include the first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. It won’t be a surprise if the NFL is eventually playing 16 regular-season games a year outside the United States, with every team in the league traveling overseas once.
