Oct 19, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel reacts during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Browns' latest opponent discusses job security after defeat in Cleveland

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Rafael Zamorano | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 4:29 PM ET

After being blown out by the Cleveland Browns on the road, things are dramatically heating up for Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, if they weren’t already red hot.

Miami was dominated on both sides of the ball, Tua Tagovailoa had a poor showing including getting picked off three times by Cleveland, and the ‘Phins record now stands at 1-6. Going back to last year, McDaniel’s team has won just three games in the months of September and October of 2024 and 2025 combined.

So, what does McDaniel think about his job security, after his team’s most recent devastating loss? He’s trying not to, according to the coach himself.

"The way I look at this job is I find it very offensive to all parties involved if I'm thinking about having the job -- I need to be doing my job," he said. "So, for as long as I coach for the Miami Dolphins and this organization, they'll get everything from me. And I refuse to spend my time thinking about [my job security] ... You have a job, you do your job and you do it to the best of your ability.

"That's where my concern lies. I think it's offensive to all coaches, players and the organization if I'm spending that precious time thinking about myself."

Oddshark had McDaniel as the favorite to be the next head coach fired before Miami’s debacle at Cleveland, at +200.

Certainly, Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross is no stranger to shaking things up midseason. Since acquiring the team in 2009, he’s fired two head coaches in the middle of a season: Tony Sparano in 2011 and Joe Philbin in 2015.

So, even if it's not outrageous to think that by failing they way that the Dolphins did against the Browns, Cleveland could help precipitate a head coaching firing, league insiders warned on Monday that there might not be a change in the works just yet. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that he didn’t expect major changes today in Miami, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “Get Up”, that he would be surprised if a change is made on this day by Ross.

On the other hand, Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski gdid get some much needed breathing room with the win, after entering the game fifth on the list of favorites to be the next head coach fired in the league, at +1800.

However, he’s not totally in the clear, just yet.

Despite their dominant showing against the Dolphins, the Browns are still far from threatening Pittsburgh’s division lead in the AFC North, and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel has still not shown enough to be considered a viable option as quarterback of the future.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is no stranger to midseason changes, either. Hue Jackson got axed after a 2-5-1 start to the 2018 season, although he was coming off a combined record of 1-31 for the previous two years, so Stefanski -- a two-time Coach of the Year for AP -- is operating under better circumstances.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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