Mike McDaniel still supports Tua Tagovailoa, but he has limits to how far his quarterback will go to win.

This Sunday, the Miami Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills. The game has been speculated to be a must-win not just for the head coach’s job security, but for Tagovailoa’s viability as a starter as well.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, McDaniel had some critical words about the one-time Pro Bowler:

“I think it’s important to, when you’re not getting results as a team, to make sure individuals don’t try to be Captain America or Superman. … You have the ball in your hand. What are you going to do with the open, covered, pocket situation? All the decisions you have to make. And it has to be from a clear mind of expectation of what your job is.”

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Tagovailoa, meanwhile, downplayed the rumors that he was fighting for his job but did acknowledge the need for improvement:

“I would say I’m playing to help my team win every time. I think that’s the objective for every quarterback that’s playing, for every football player. ”

And for him, that means getting back to the “nuts and bolts of football,” as McDaniel put it:

“Just the basics and the fundamentals of what got me playing the way I was playing last year, the year prior and so forth. It’s the footwork, matching that up with each play, and then the confidence within that.”

Mike McDaniel discusses Dolphins’ inactivity at trade deadline

In the same media availability, Mike McDaniel shared his thoughts on the Dolphins’ lack of meaningful activity at the trade deadline.

On Monday, Jaelan Phillips went to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. This sparked rumors that the organization would be doing a fire sale the next day, but ultimately, nothing happened.

According to McDaniel, none of the deals presented to them were interesting:

“There wasn’t anything that moved the needle for us to change our roster beyond what we’ve done. I was excited for four o’clock because I got to get back to where my mind has been at and where I’m making sure everyone’s minds (are) at, and that is the Buffalo Bills.”

He continued:

“We were all in agreement for the moves and or moves we didn’t make. It was a normal trade deadline process where you are, contrary to popular belief, you generally talk about a ton, over 50 percent of your players.”

Kickoff for the Bills game is at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.