Dolphins LB Bringing the Right Energy for Mike McDaniel

Miami Dolphins linebacker Willie Gay Jr. is bringing the energy this training camp. Head coach Mike McDaniel is happy to have it.

Miami Dolphins LB Willie Gay Jr. | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

Not only is Miami Dolphins linebacker Willie Gay Jr. clocked in for the 2025 season, he's bringing the kind of energy head coach Mike McDaniel wants to see.

McDaniel praised Gay as "magnetic" to reporters Sunday.

"You can feel his presence inside the building and he was a fast friend for a lot of the guys in the locker room," he said. "But what has jumped off is his energy isn’t a one-off thing. He brings that every day. It’s a pillar of who he is as a person as we really get to know him, so what does that mean? Any time there’s a tip or an overthrow, he’s a potential takeaway guy.

"He is around the ball and he is challenging both the people in his position group and the offense. I think he’s a guy that has shown up every day and I think that’s who he is and we’re happy to have him on the team.”

For Gay, the energy stems from his love of the game. Gay's pre-practice scream, a manifestation of that love for the game, has caught on.

"I just the love the game so much, man, I love being on the field so much," he told reporters. "I feel like [as] everyone says, energy is contagious. And if you bring it, man, it's going to always spread like a virus, dog. So that's what I do. Just be myself, I don't try to hard, like I said with the scream — I do that for myself and everyone else feeds off of it."

Gay said he began his ritual of screaming to get himself pumped for practice early in his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, who made him a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

“I don’t know, it’s just ... one day, I’ll never forget, we had an indoor practice and it was raining
outside," Gay recalled. "You know when it’s raining everybody is like (disappointed), so I just went in and I screamed real loud. The next thing I know, people just started buzzing about it. But I never did it for people; I do it to get my blood flowing a little bit. But then everywhere I go now, it’s become big. It helps me get going a little bit too.”

Camp Success

Gay has looked strong early on in camp. The sixth-year vet and two-time Super Bowl champion told reporters he is most proud of his coverage ability.

"I feel like I'm doing pretty good, getting my hands on, batting balls down," he said. "A couple of them was dropped but it's O.K., because in the games they're going to be picks if I get opportunities. So, I think coverage, man. I'm proud of myself, I don't usually give myself praise but if I had to just answer that, probably just pass coverage and trying to get even better at it."

Gay also said he wants to be well rounded, able to do whatever is asked of him whether that is coverage or blitzing.

"I feel like it's my skill set, obviously it's always going to be something to get better at within those things," he said. "Being able to get into the passing lanes a lot this camp, that's been big for me."