MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins have been bombarded with criticism from national media all offseason and lowered expectations heading into the coming fall.
So is life when a team with upward momentum in previous seasons failed to make the playoffs in 2024 while going 8-9.
Now, sportsbooks have Dolphins season win total prop bets ranging from 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 wins. ESPN recently ranked Miami’s roster as No. 24 in the NFL.
Twenty-fourth. Mind you, this is still a team trying to win in 2025.
Dolphins players reported to training camp Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s first practice and were rather blunt in response to the outside talk.
“I don’t give a s—,” fullback Alec Ingold said. “Catch me in training camp. Catch these guys working.
“They can say whatever they want to. We are going out every single day and we’re working. And if people want to use that as motivation? Great. Good for you. If you want to have that internal drive, you want to chase that excellence on your own, be a part of this team? Great. Whatever you need.
“That noise can be great for some people, terrible for others. I really don’t care.”
Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb summed up his feelings in fewer words.
“They talk. We do,” he said.
Chubb is coming back from missing all of the 2024 season after a knee injury suffered at the end of the 2023 season.
He described his level of hunger this year as “starving.”
Aside from the motivation, there was also talk of excitement in the building as players reported for duty Tuesday.
“The excitement of football being back, it’s like the first day of school, it’s like seeing all your best friends after summer break,” Ingold said. “I think there is a lot of joy and excitement to be around each other, and I think that’s what’s most important, what I’m looking forward to, is kind of share those experiences with these guys and the opportunity to write some history this year.”
Ingold was not shy about deeming Super Bowl the aspirations for the Dolphins this year.
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Culture change
The Dolphins are battling these perceptions as a team that also must transform its culture after it was revealed at the end of last year that players were not showing up to meetings on time in 2024.
This for a roster that lost veteran leaders in defensive tackle Calais Campbell and left tackle Terron Armstead.
Ingold is a prime candidate to fill any leadership void.
“Culture is an abstract concept. It’s very hard to put your finger on it,” Ingold said.
“I feel like culture really comes down to the shared character of when things are going wrong. What we can do right now, during camp, is manufacture that as best we can by competing, by bringing great energy and truly pushing yourselves to that discomfort early on.
“If you can self-start that as a team, as a unit, over time, you’ll get to see what the character of the team is, that shared continuity.”
The Dolphins, back in 2023, appeared to be a team filled with joy, having fun on the field with touchdown celebrations. Was that lost in 2024?
“Last year, honestly, I don’t think it was time for fun,” Ingold said. “It was time to buckle down the hatches, dig a foxhole and work. That was what was necessary to go from 2-6 to 6-2.”
The Dolphins, in 2024, worked back to an 8-8 record after starting 2-6 to ultimately fall short of the playoffs and lose the finale against the New York Jets to finish 8-9.
New jersey numbers
The Dolphins unveiled a series of new jersey numbers for players on Tuesday.
Newcomers in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and tight end Darren Waller, acquired in trades weeks ago, will wear 29 and 83, respectively.
Safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu (9) and Dante Trader Jr. (25) also swapped numbers. Melifonwu was previously wearing 29 during organized team activities and minicamp. The rookie Trader wore 29, which now goes to Fitzpatrick.
Running back Jaylen Wright, who wore 25 as a rookie last year, is now No. 5, available because cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded. Wide receiver Tahj Washington is now No. 7, also worn by kicker Jason Sanders.
Originally Published: July 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM EDT
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