Mike McDaniel on not activating Shaq Barrett: The timing wasn’t ideal

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said this week that edge rusher Shaq Barrett has a desire to return to active duty after retiring this summer surprised him and that the team would need to discuss the situation before making any decisions about bringing the veteran back into the fold.

The Dolphins ultimately decided against activating Barrett before Thursday’s game against the Packers and they will not release him, meaning Barrett will not play again this season. After the Dolphins lost in Green Bay, McDaniel was asked about that decision at his press conference.

McDaniel said the players currently on the roster “have earned the right to be there” and that means “the timing, in my opinion, wasn’t necessarily ideal” to bring Barrett back after an extended layoff. McDaniel also said it’s not about keeping Barrett away from other teams.

“It wasn’t a measured situation like this stance one way or the other,” McDaniel said in a team transcript. “Like I said, we just found out one day that I had a press conference with you guys and it was more of the same. It wasn’t a question of whether he wanted to play there or here. He knew we had his contractual rights, so it was more our stand and let’s look at our squad.”

Barrett won’t play this season but could reconsider his options in the offseason.