Name Linked to Dolphins Head Coaching Job if McDaniel is Fired
The fate of Mike McDaniel is still up in the air as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach beyond this season.
The last four games will go a long way toward determining whether McDaniel stays on as head coach for 2026 or is relieved of his duties after Week 18.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Wednesday said if McDaniel is let go, one name to keep an eye on is a former Dolphins assistant coach.
“If Miami opens, remember that (Vance) Joseph was a finalist for the Dolphins job that went to Mike McDaniel in 2022 and is still well-regarded there.”
Joseph was the defensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2016 for one season under Adam Gase, the year Gase brought Miami to the playoffs.
After that season, he was hired as the Denver Broncos head coach, a position he held for two seasons.
Both were losing seasons with the Broncos, and he had an 11-21 record as head coach in Denver.
After Denver, he was the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019-2022, before returning to Denver in 2023 as their defensive coordinator, a role he still has under Sean Payton.
And if you, as a Dolphins fan, are under the assumption that Mike McDaniel has already saved his job with four games left, well, to steal a line from the great Lee Corso, “Not So Fast, My Friend.”
Dan Graziano of ESPN on Wednesday said this, “It sounds as if Mike McDaniel has a chance to save his job in Miami with a strong finish, which he seems to be on his way to putting together, but any time the GM gets fired midseason (as Chris Grier was in Miami), more potential change could be on the way.”
I think the conventional wisdom is that McDaniel needs to finish strong in these final four games, all against good teams (even though Cincinnati’s record is 4-9, they are not your typical 4-9 team), to secure his status as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2026.
A 0-4 finish or a 1-3 finish probably isn’t good enough for McDaniel to stay on as head coach.
For the reason Graziano pointed out, when a team fires their GM midseason, the new general manager they hire will probably want to bring in their own guy and start fresh with both the GM and the head coach on the same clock, beginning at the same time within the organization.
Inheriting a head coach, only to maybe have to fire them in a year, is a recipe for disaster for any new general manager.
While making the playoffs is probably out of reach for the Dolphins this season with four games left to play, these last four games are super crucial for Mike McDaniel because his fate will be determined in how many wins this team has in the final four games.
No moral victories.
No “yeah but” excuses.
Wins!
No thanks..
Can’t keep him – 4 years in and we are still a .500 team. He has beat up on bad teams. Will give him the Bills game but that was their SB this year. Team is playing hard so i will give him that but against bad teams. Pitt is avg so let’s see what he does against them on the road in a night game when the temp may get into the single digits. I’m sure Tua will be his typical cold game self – sitting on the heated bench wrapped in his parka all by himself.
I really hope Ross brings in an experienced GM from the outside to clean out the front office and truly change the culture there. And let that GM bring in his own coach and the new coach his own qb. Ross said he wants a new culture – well you need to start fresh with new blood. And please STOP with 1st year guys that fail and learn in Miami and then go elsewhere.
Nothing against Joseph but can we please bring in an experienced HC that has won some? If we go the Joseph route i would much rather have Saleh. Guy is a beast and brings that temperament to his team. Just can’t stick him with Tua because that won’t go well.
Fuck Grier, if you only picked Herbert instead of a guy w no arm and a broken hip we’d be well on our way to being a contender. Goid franchises don’t blow picks like that, that’s why they win in we’re stuck in mediocrity