The move came after McDaniel met with team owner Stephen Ross, who eventually decided to part ways with the head coach. Ross confirmed as much Thursday, putting out a statement announcing the move.
It’s a disappointing end for McDaniel, who looked like one of the best hires of the offseason in 2022. Despite being a relative unknown at the time, the Dolphins took a shot on McDaniel, who immediately delivered back-to-back playoff appearances in his first two seasons with the team.
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Things got off to a miserable start this season, as the Dolphins were embarrassed by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Miami’s offense failed to gain traction in the loss and its defense allowed the Colts to score on every single offensive possession.
From there, the Dolphins found increasingly inventive ways to lose. They lost to the New England Patriots in Week 2 after handing back the lead via kickoff return immediately after they’d taken it midway through the fourth quarter; blew a 17-point lead in a loss to the Carolina Panthers; and let the Los Angeles Chargers march into game-winning field goal range despite scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 46 seconds left. After the Chargers loss, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got up in front of the media and hinted at players skipping meetings among broader team-wide discord. He later apologized for doing so after swift blowback.
With the team at 1-6 to open the season, McDaniel and the Dolphins showed some life down the stretch. The team won five of its next six games, salvaging what, to that point, had been a miserable start. But the Dolphins collapsed down the stretch, going 1-3 over their last four games.
Following a Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. While Tagovailoa put up solid numbers against the Steelers, he also threw his league-leading 15th interception in the contest.
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It was a tough way for the Tagovailoa-McDaniel partnership to end. The two seemed like a match made in heaven during McDaniel’s first season as head coach. The Dolphins looked much-improved on offense in 2022, getting the best out of Tagovailoa after the first-rounder failed to excel under previous head coach Brian Flores. It certainly helped both Tagovailoa and McDaniel that the Dolphins pulled off a blockbuster trade for wideout Tyreek Hill that same offseason. Hill exploded for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season in Miami. Despite McDaniel’s early success, the team lost in the wild-card round. Tagovailoa did not play in the contest after sustaining at least his second concussion of the season.
Things were even better in Year 2 under McDaniel. The Dolphins improved to 11-6, and posted the second-highest point total in the NFL. Tagovailoa started all 17 games, throwing for 29 touchdowns and a league-leading 4,624 yards. Hill led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. Jaylen Waddle added in a 1,000-yard year of his own. The Dolphins looked like a juggernaut on offense, but scored just 7 points in a wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the team seemingly on the rise entering 2024, everything started to fall apart. The Dolphins started the year 1-1 before Tagovailoa missed four games due to yet another concussion. The team was 2-4 by the time Tagovailoa returned, but the offense drastically changed in order to prevent the quarterback from taking hits. Tagovailoa focused on getting the ball out quickly, which led to a lot of short receptions for running back De’Von Achane and far fewer deep shots to Hill, who was battling a wrist injury that needed offseason surgery.
The Dolphins managed to post a 8-9 record despite the early struggles, though failed to make the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel. While it wasn’t an awful season on the surface, it proved to be the beginning of the end.
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The move could prove to be the first of many for the Dolphins. While Tagovailoa thrived early in McDaniel’s tenure, repeated injuries have lowered the quarterback’s ceiling. The team’s next coach will need to decide whether Tagovailoa is the quarterback of the future in Miami or whether some new blood is needed under center. In addition to Tagovailoa, Hill’s days could be numbered. The wideout reportedly wanted a trade last offseason, and could find himself elsewhere depending on how the team wants to operate under its next head coach.
After a promising start in Miami, McDaniel will look to catch on with another team. Given his offensive prowess and age, McDaniel should land on his feet soon enough, and could even work his way back to another head-coaching role before long.