Raheem Mostert addresses alleged culture issues that impacted Dolphins when Mike McDaniel was head coach

Back in September 2025, a report surfaced detailing alleged culture issues that impacted the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Mike McDaniel, who held his job from 2022 through this past January. 

Current Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert played under McDaniel when McDaniel served as an assistant coach/offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers and also when the two were with the Dolphins. During a Monday appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program, Mostert touched upon what went wrong for McDaniel during his Miami tenure.

Raheem Mostert: Mike McDaniel "missed the mark" as a head coach

"He’s a great coach," Mostert said about McDaniel, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "If guys are talking, he’ll listen and give them some advice, but head-coach-wise — the past couple of years, what they’ve been going through has just been kind of rough. I kind of feel bad for the players. When you have a coach that is so player-friendly, it doesn’t really mix all that well. Look at the coaches in history, not just in the NFL, of all of these different sports franchises. They have coaches that implement toughness, resilience, and that’s something that he kind of missed the mark on in being a head coach."

As part of his September 2025 report, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN suggested that Dolphins players showed "a lack of respect for" McDaniel, who "was hesitant to publicly admonish players outside of posting fines" whenever they were late to practices and/or meetings. 

As for McDaniel's record with Miami, he failed to guide the club to a single playoff win across his four seasons in charge before he was relieved of his duties earlier this winter. He is now the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.

What Mike McDaniel may have to learn if he wants to become a second-time NFL head coach

"As a player, I need somebody tough that’s going to lay the hammer down when it needs to be down and tell other players to get in line," Mostert added during the interview. "When you don’t have that, that impact can definitely be detrimental."

Perhaps working under Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will help McDaniel learn some lessons that will make him a better overall candidate to become a second-time head coach at some point down the road.