Keeping Tabs with McDaniel Moves

Mike McDaniel is going to be very busy in his first full week without an NFL job.

The former Miami Dolphins head coach is scheduled to have at least five interviews for various openings this week, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero.

Four of those involve a head coaching position, with the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans. The other is for the position of offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions.

Among the head coach openings, McDaniel has connections with the Falcons and Browns, two teams that were part of his resume before the Dolphins hired him in February 2022.

McDaniel spent two seasons with Atlanta as an offensive assistant in 2015-16 under head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons went to the Super Bowl in that 2016 season. The quarterback on that 2016 Atlanta team was NFL MVP Matt Ryan, who just got hired by the Falcons as president of football.

Atlanta has been looking for a new head coach since firing Raheem Morris after an 8-9 finish (though that record was good enough to tie for first place in the NFC South).

Before he joined the Falcons, McDaniel spent the 2014 season as wide receivers coach with Cleveland, which is looking for a new head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski.

THE WEAVER WATCH

Interestingly, another candidate who interviewed for the Atlanta job is Anthony Weaver, who served as McDaniel's defensive coordinator in Miami the past two years.

Weaver also is scheduled to do a Zoom interview for the head coach position with the Ravens, a team for whom he served as defensive line coach before McDaniel hired him to run his defense in 2024. Weaver also spent the first four of his seven NFL seasons as a player with Baltimore after the Ravens made him a second-round pick out of Notre Dame in the 2002 draft.

Baltimore is looking for a new head coach after firing longtime coach John Harbaugh, who's near the top of the wish list of many teams that currently have an opening, including the Dolphins.

Weaver also is scheduled to interview with the Arizona Cardinals, who are looking for a new coach after firing Jonathan Gannon.

If he were to wind up with Detroit as offensive coordinator, the role he handled with the San Francisco 49ers before the Dolphins hired him, he would inherit one of the best offensive rosters in the NFL, highlighted by tackle Penei Sewell, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

McDaniel seemed like a great fit to rejoin Quinn as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, but Quinn instead hired former NFL quarterback David Blough for that role.

Other teams currently without an OC include the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.

Of those teams, only the Lions and Bucs currently have a head coach in place, and McDaniel does not have previous work experience with either Detroit head coach Dan Campbell or Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, ironically two former Dolphins interim coaches.