One of the major decisions the new Miami Dolphins front office made was to part ways with former head coach Mike McDaniel. During his four seasons in South Florida, the new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator went 35-33, reaching the playoffs in his first two seasons.
McDaniel’s best season in Miami came in 2023 when the team went 11-6 but fell in the AFC Wild Card Game to the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite reaching the playoffs in McDaniel’s first two seasons, the Dolphins didn’t win a playoff game.
However, in his final two seasons, the Dolphins missed the playoffs and finished below .500. With Miami now going in a different direction, Jonathan Zaslow of ESPN Radio and the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” gave a prediction for what lies ahead in the coaching career of McDaniel.
“I think Mike McDaniel is going to be a really successful offensive coordinator,” Zaslow said in a May 29 video from the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.” “I don’t think he was a head coach; I think there are some coaches who aren’t head coaches but can be great coordinators. You’ve seen guys like Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, and Steve Spagnuolo.
“These guys are out there, all right? I think Mike McDaniel is going to wind up being one of those guys. He’s not a head coach, even though he had some modicum of success, but he’s going to be a great coordinator.”
Mike McDaniel Could Have Success With Player Miami Passed On
Moreover, with McDaniel now the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, Zaslow notes that the frustrating aspect for Dolphins fans will be if their former head coach succeeds with Justin Herbert. Miami decided to pass on Herbert and drafted Tua Tagovailoa, whom the Dolphins cut ties with this offseason.
“But are Dolphins fans going to care if the Chargers offense takes this huge step forward and, ‘Oh, that was your coach, and you fired him?‘ Are Dolphins fans going to care? Because my guess is, I don’t think it’s going to matter.
“I think the part that’s going to be frustrating about that is not only is it the Dolphins’ former coach, but more importantly, he’s doing it with the quarterback they passed on for Tua.
“That’s the combination there; that’s the part, not the McDaniel part, but it’s that McDaniel, ‘Oh, look at what he’s doing with Herbert. That’s the guy the Dolphins should have drafted.'”
Ex-Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Also Looks for a Fresh Start
As Tagovailoa also prepares for a fresh start like McDaniel, former Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith (2022-25) shared his thoughts on whether the ex-Miami QB can find success in Atlanta.
“If he keeps staying true to himself and maintains who he is, along with that conviction and belief in himself and how he needs to play to be at his best, he can be as good as he wants to be because he’s shown he can do it,“ Smith told Terron Armstead on the May 21 edition of “The Set.”
“He can reach the ceiling of ability in this league and play at an extremely high level. It’s about what you learn through the journey and your time there because when you experience the highs and lows, if you learn from it, it makes you stronger. You’re only going to be better from that time.”
Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Gets Major Career Prediction