Reports seem to suggest an early preference in Mike McDaniel’s fate with the Dolphins, but how this story ends will not ultimately be up to him

Let's start with what the latest on Mike McDaniel's job outlook is — according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"Mike McDaniel's job IS considered 'safe' for the foreseeable future. The Dolphins believe in McDaniel, want him to continue to be the head coach now and through the next year and moving forward. Just got to win, got to keep the team playing for him — if that does not happen, the Dolphins could eventually make a change," said Rapoport during a Sunday morning news hit.

Mike McDaniel's offensive ranks with Dolphins since 2022

• 2022: 6th in yards, 11th in scoring
• 2023: 1st in yards, 2nd in scoring
• 2024: 18th in yards, 22nd in scoring
• 2025: 28th in yards, 25th in scoring (through Week 9)

How big of a deal should we make out of this? At this point, not all that much. The qualifier for McDaniel's security is right out there in the open but it's also easier said than done for the 2025 Dolphins.

'Just got to win.'

Well...the Dolphins are 2-7. And now, they've just traded Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles. So that's not great for the proverbial plan in place. With 8 games remaining, McDaniel is facing an eternity of evaluation opportunities between now and the end of the regular season. Miami has also posted three losses this season in which the team was alarmingly lethargic for spurts or all the game — including three weeks ago against Cleveland and on Thursday night against the Ravens. 'Just got to win' is a major qualifier. It does seem like McDaniel has the longest leash of any of the lead figures in Miami — given that Rapoport also indicated that Tagovailoa is "playing for his job" and Grier is already gone.

But we shouldn't make any sweeping assumptions about his fate this early on in the process. Because 8 games is a long, long time — and the later this season from hell goes, the harder it will get for McDaniel to continue having his players play hard for him. There's been execution issues, preparation issues, in-house locker room issues, and a roster that is void of depth could be sapped at the trade deadline.

Game on, Mike.

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