Insider notes on Dolphins: Mike McDaniel firing inches closer, ex-Jets HC eyed as successor, and more

Less than a month ago, on September 9, after just one week into the NFL season, I wrote a lengthy article reporting that Mike McDaniel’s tenure in Miami could be coming to a close sooner rather than later. Now, after a horrendous Week 5 loss to Carolina, sources tell me the end is in sight.

After their Week 1 disaster when the Dolphins lost to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 33-8, I reported that league sources were telling me that owner Stephen Ross would pull the trigger and fire head coach Mike McDaniel if the team was not competitive over the next 6-7 games. Since that article, the Dolphins lost three of the four games, winning just a single contest over the lowly New York Jets last Monday evening.

Tensions are starting to boil over after the loss to the Panthers, a game in which the Dolphins offense combined for just 248 yards. McDaniel admitted during a press conference on Monday that owner Stephen Ross is “really frustrated.” The head coach went on to say,

"It's frustrating because there's a lot of talking, and we need to major in doing. I don't think anybody wants to hear me talk about it as much as I don't feel like saying it, but it doesn't change the steadfast reality that is ‘You have to get better at things or you'll continue having the same results.’"

When could Mike McDaniel be sent packing? The same sources who told me that McDaniel was on very thin ice after their Week 1 loss to the Colts predict that Ross will wait 2-3 more games before deciding whether to pull the trigger on his head coach.

If the team somehow makes a miraculous turnaround, McDaniel could save his job. The Dolphins face off against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons during the next three weeks then finish the month of October against the Baltimore Ravens.

Many wonder if general manager Chris Grier will also be cut loose. Sources tell me that they do not think it’s a definite that both the head coach and general manager would be fired at the same time.

Which direction would Stephen Ross look to move if he unloads Mike McDaniel?

Sources say they expect the owner to target a disciplinarian type of coach with experience in the league, someone in the Dan Quinn mold. One name that has been speculated as a possibility if Mike McDaniel gets canned is ESPN analyst Rex Ryan.

Ryan’s desire to prowl the sidelines on Sundays, potentially as a defensive coordinator but preferably as a head coach, is well-known in league circles. The hot rumor this past off season was Ryan would return to coach the New York Jets before the franchise went with Aaron Glenn, partially on the advice of Bill Parcells. Ryan would fit the desire of hiring a veteran coach, though not necessarily a strict disciplinarian, and the Dolphins would be getting a proven winner, albeit from 15 years ago.

Ryan led the Jets to consecutive AFC title game appearances in 2009 and 2010 before eventually being let go by the club after the 2014 season. Sources say that having a defensive-minded head coach would allow the Dolphins to bring in a big-name offensive coordinator who can work exclusively with Tua Tagovailoa, the 2020 first-round pick who at times has struggled with injury and inconsistency since being drafted over five years ago.