A recent report suggests the Miami Dolphins have already made a decision on head coach Mike McDaniel’s future with the team.
According to CBS Sports NFL Insider, Jonathan Jones, many people around the league believe the Dolphins will retain Mike McDaniel, stating that the team ‘loves Mike” and feels like “he’s had a tough hand” during his first four seasons in Miami.
I don’t think anyone would argue that he’s been dealt a tough hand.
But making a decision now, with three games left to play, doesn’t seem necessary. Then again, maybe the belief in Miami Gardens is that rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers can instill hope in the team and fanbase over the coming weeks? Maybe they win the next three and still finish the season above .500 — which would be impressive given the state of the team just a few weeks ago. Hell, maybe we even see a plethora of young players take promosing steps in the next few weeks, easing the pain of the inevitable rebuild that’s sure to come.
Would that be enough to keep McDaniel around?
I don’t know the answer to that.
What I do know, however, is that until I can name a better candidate to replace McDaniel with, I’m going to sit on the sidelines and wait. The one thing I don’t want the Dolphins to do is what we’ve seen them do in the past: settle at arguably the most critical position in the NFL hierarchy… the General Manager position.
Additionally, forcing a general manager to keep a head coach is not the way to go, no matter how much it seems Stephen Ross and his cronies believe in that philosophy.
Here’s another snippet from the article on the GM position, and the belief in league circles.
“Multiple prospective head coach and general manager candidates, as well as agents, told CBS Sports they are now operating under the belief the Dolphins will keep McDaniel with three games remaining in the season.”
Jones continued: “Sources say the Dolphins may look for a true football evaluator and roster manager at GM with Shore handling the other duties that been added to a GM’s plate in today’s NFL. That setup is not dissimilar to what had already been in place with Grier, a long-time personnel man, and would be in line with what several other NFL teams do.”
Interim head coach Champ Kelly will have a chance to state his case, according to Jones, but I think Miami has to go one step further and shoot for the stars. And as someone who admittedly only knows the bare minimum about candidates not named Dawn Aponte, there’s only one person I’d like to see Miami take a chance on.
Philadelphia Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby.
Make it happen, Stephen Ross.
What are your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins bringing back Mike McDaniel in 2026? Do you think Champ Kelly deserves a shot at being the next general manager? How do you feel about Brandon Shore potentially being the Co-GM in this situation? Let us know in the comments section below!
