Was Firing Coach Mike McDaniel The Logical Move For Dolphins?

After four seasons and two playoff appearances, the Miami Dolphins will be moving on from head coach Mike McDaniel.

The decision was announced on January 8. The Dolphins finished 7-10 in the 2025 season and ranked bottom 10 in both offense and defense.

The Dolphins hired McDaniel after a 9-8 season that failed to produce a playoff appearance. They didn’t want to change coaches after acquiring wide receiver Tyreek Hill, offensive tackle Terran Armstrong and linebacker Bradley Chubb. The Dolphins finished with the exact same record in 2022, but this time it was good enough to make the playoffs. In their first playoff appearance since 2016, they lost to the Bills in the wild-card game.

The 2023 season saw the Dolphins improve to 11-6. The biggest move they made was to get cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, improvements from Tua Tagovailoa and Raheem Mostert helped drive the Dolphins’ turnaround. They would lose to the Chiefs in the wild-card game. The game was notable for the minus-4-degree temperature at kickoff.   

The Dolphins missed the playoffs the next two seasons. Hill saw a massive decline in 2024. His yard total went from 1,799 to 959. Tagovailoa missed six games, and his backup, Tyler Huntley, didn’t play well, with just three touchdowns and three interceptions in five games.

In late September 2025, Hill tore his ACL, which ended his season. However, the real reason for their struggle was a decline in their defense. They went from 10th in 2024 to 24th in 2025, according to Pro Football Reference. 

McDaniel’s tenure in Miami is difficult to assess. He had some early success, followed by the roster collapsing.