Dolphins new head coach Jeff Hafley sees value in mistakes as his young team prepares for preseason

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Hafley wants to see the mistakes.

Of course the Miami Dolphins first-year head coach does not want his players missing assignments, lining up offsides or running the wrong routes on game days. But he has stressed to his young team the importance of pushing beyond their comfort zones during training camp, even if that means getting things wrong.

“Some guys get so comfortable, right?” Hafley said Monday. “And they’re so scared to make a mistake that they play things safe. How do you grow if you’re going to play things safe? That doesn’t make any sense to me because you’re comfortable or you don’t want to look bad? It’s not about looking bad.”

Hafley has taken that approach himself, testing out different snap counts for quarterbacks and living with pre-snap penalties if they come early on. Similarly, the former defensive coordinator wants players to test different techniques and learn what works for them. During a recent practice, that meant encouraging a cornerback to use his hands and length more during team drills.

"Like step out of your comfort zone. Don’t worry about the results," Hafley said. "That’s what practice is for. That’s why I get mad in practice. I think bad coaching is when a guy gets beat and you just go up and you yell at him. No, ask him, ‘What did you do? What did you see? What did you try? Did it work? Let’s go back and watch it on film.’ If a guy’s not running to the ball or he’s (showing) lack of effort or physicality then yeah, yell at him. But this is where these guys get paralyzed in their minds, and I just don’t want that to happen.

“So when I see a long corner and I get a flashback, ‘You’re not using your length. Step and punch and try something different.’ I think that’s huge for everybody on our team, and it’s just how we need to coach these guys.”

That approach will be tested this week as the Dolphins prepare for Wednesday's joint practice against Washington ahead of Friday's preseason opener.

Hafley hasn't said whether starters like quarterback Malik Willis or running back De'Von Achane will suit up, but the coach said Monday everyone on the team “needs to be ready to play.”

“You never know what to expect, but you kind of just go out there, and it’s like a regular practice. You just start,” said tackle Patrick Paul, whose brother, Chris, is an offensive lineman for the Commanders. “There’s no like pre-anything. It’s just from the jump you’re going. It’s going to bring the best out of a lot of people because you’re going against new competition. These aren’t your teammates. These are people you’re about to play, so you need to go out there and compete."

The Dolphins agreed to acquire offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and a 2029 seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for a 2028 sixth-rounder. That deal is pending a physical.

Wallace, a third-round pick out of Penn State by the Patriots in 2024, has played in 10 games with two starts over the past two seasons.

Also Monday, the Dolphins placed kicker Zane Gonzalez on injured reserve and signed cornerback Nick McCloud as they deal with injuries in their secondary.

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