Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel addresses Byron Jones status, Myles Garrett comment and more

Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Byron Jones remains sidelined after March leg surgery but he’s “hopeful and optimistic” that Jones will be able to play at some point this season.

Jones had surgery in the ankle/Achilles area in March and hasn’t played or practiced all season. He remains on the physically unable to perform list and isn’t yet able to practice, McDaniel said.

The Dolphins remain short-handed at cornerback. Beyond the Jones injury and Nik Needham’s season-ending injury, the status of Keion Crossen is undetermined for Sunday against Houston (1 p.m., CBS).

Crossen, who left Miami’s most recent game against Cleveland with a shoulder injury, has an injury that would put him “up in the air” to return in two weeks, McDaniel said.

“I’ve learned not to count Keion out. He’s a committed professional. and a freak of a healer.”

The Dolphins returned to practice Monday after their bye week.

McDaniel addressed other issues during his Monday press briefing:

▪ Cleveland defensive standout Myles Garrett said last week that during the Dolphins’ win against Cleveland, he was surprised how specific the Dolphins’ play calling seemed, as if McDaniel had scripted every play of the game knowing what would work and what wouldn’t.

“It wasn’t like a first 15, it was like a first 60,” Garrett said. “The way they attacked us was very detailed in what they were trying to do. They had us out of position a lot of the time. It seemed like when we tried to switch things up, they were a step ahead.”

Garrett said the Dolphins seemed like they “knew what adjustments we were going to make. We were a second late because of all the movements and motions, all those things kept us on the back foot. That’s another credit to them and their coaches.”

Asked about Garrett’s comments, McDaniel said: “He’s giving myself and the coaching staff a little too much credit. I saw our players adjusting to their adjustments in real time and playing 100 percent with conviction. That credit should really be put on the shoulders of the guys out there.”

So does McDaniel script the plays he’s going to use early in the game?

“We go to the game with an opening 24 [plays to use] but that’s not including third downs,” he said. “Sometimes you make it all the way through; sometimes you skip around. Generally, it’s about 12 runs, 12 passes intermixed and that’s pretty consistent every game.”

▪ The Dolphins lead the AFC East; both the Dolphins and Bills are 7-3 but Miami owns the tiebreaker at the moment.

How much value does McDaniel put in being in first place in late November?

“About as much value as a lottery ticket that you don’t check the winning numbers,” McDaniel said. “Is it worth something? I don’t know.”

McDaniel said he gave the players six days off last week — the most he can ever remember on a bye week during his coaching career — because “I thought they won the first quarter of the game. You feel pride controlling your destiny. That’s a cool deal. I’m super fired up to be where we are right now. The last game you saw [the win against Cleveland] we felt a little more complete contribution from the team. I’m happy where we are at.”

He said the feeling in the building after the bye week “is a very cool vibe. You’re above. 500, have a bye week. Do people get comfortable? The vibe was exactly the opposite, exactly what I want to see, which is a group of people that are confident but hungry. And that’s what you want to gain from winning games - confidence but not any complacency....

“Parity is crazy in the National Football League, particularly our division where [between] first and last place, it’s a huge one game. They came in refreshed. They’re charged and ready to go and see how far we can take the team.”

▪ McDaniel, on adding defensive end/linebacker Brennan Scarlett to the practice squad: “Excited to have him back and add him to the group. Saw a ton of versatility and a level of combative attitude that is cool for any football team when you’re a defensive player... Maybe [we’ll] give him some live action at some point.”

▪ McDaniel, asked about lineups featuring Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Melvin Ingram on the field at the same time: “From a defensive standpoint, if you’re creating any hesitation on the offense, that’s a win for the defense. We are afforded some talented edge players.”