Dolphins guard James Daniels suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Pittsburgh that ended his 2024 season prematurely. Despite the severity of the injury, Daniels expressed a broader perspective, noting that more critical issues are affecting others at this time. He emphasized that while the injury is difficult, there are far greater struggles that people face, particularly those dealing with family members being deported.

Daniels stated,

“The Achilles, yes it’s unfortunate, but there’s people in way worse positions. Especially what’s happening in L.A. People’s parents, people’s grandparents are being deported illegally. I don’t have to worry about my mom getting deported, my dad getting deported or my wife getting deported. I’ve played a long time. I’ve made decent money. So there’s a lot bigger issues people have on their plate. So for me, going through an Achilles injury is pretty easy.”

—James Daniels, Dolphins Guard

Justin Fields Shows Poise During Jets Minicamp Practices

Jets quarterback Justin Fields demonstrated significant composure at recent minicamp practices, successfully leading the offense to a game-tying field goal. Head coach Aaron Glenn specifically pointed to Fields’ decision-making during a challenging sequence when, after failing to find an open receiver, he wisely threw the ball away to avoid negative plays and maintain momentum for the team.

Glenn remarked,

“The best play through that whole series was the fact that he rolled out, you guys might have seen it, and there wasn’t anybody open. He just threw it away. So, no negative plays. We kept getting positive plays and he actually got us down to kick a field goal, which is good.”

—Aaron Glenn, Jets Head Coach

As the offseason enters Phase 3, Glenn is focusing intently on players’ ability to maintain discipline and attention to detail, aiming to ensure they stay focused on their assignments without losing concentration on the process amid increasing competition.

He added,

“So as we start to close out our Phase 3, there are a couple of things that I make sure that I pay close attention to because I know sometimes as players, I’ve been there too, how your mind can start to wander away from what’s important about the things that we’ve been doing, about the habits that we’ve been creating. So I play close attention to the competition on how we operate. I pay close attention to the discipline part. I pay close attention to the details of everyone’s assignment and making sure that we have that laser focus on what we need to do to get better and not start to think about what’s going to happen after this week’s over with.”

—Aaron Glenn, Jets Head Coach

Patriots Offensive Coordinator Highlights Drake Maye’s Development

With Josh McDaniels returning as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, this offseason marks quarterback Drake Maye’s first full year working with him. McDaniels praised Maye for his intelligence and strong work ethic while noting that the quarterback room as a whole is dedicating significant time to improvement.

McDaniels said,

“He’s very smart and works really hard. The quarterback room, in general, is really, really good in terms of putting the time and effort in at this point of the year. [Maye] is doing a really good job of digesting information, processing the corrections when there is a correction to be made, and going out there with a great attitude.”

—Josh McDaniels, Patriots Offensive Coordinator

The coordinator also highlighted Maye’s ability to quickly learn from his mistakes, a quality McDaniels considers vital for a young player progressing through the complexities of NFL play.

“He does a really good job of listening. When you go out there the next time and see the same kind of look or the same problem the defense presents to you, he’s a quick study on that, and that’s a good thing for a young player,”

McDaniels added. —Josh McDaniels, Patriots Offensive Coordinator

Offseason Momentum and Challenges Across Teams

As the offseason advances, several teams and players are demonstrating resilience and determination amid obstacles. The Dolphins must adjust to the loss of James Daniels, while the Jets are building confidence around Justin Fields’ growing leadership. Meanwhile, the Patriots anticipate significant growth from Drake Maye under McDaniels’ guidance, with his impressive offseason progress drawing positive attention.

The developments this offseason underscore the focus and discipline required to succeed at the professional level, with each player and team navigating their unique hurdles in preparation for the coming season.