The Uncomfortable Conversation About Mike McDaniel

Due to the NFL Draft approaching in a couple of days and last week’s debacle of a pre-draft press conference held by Chris Grier, it has become almost impossible for Dolfans not to point the finger of blame at Grier. From abandoning the slow and steady rebuild through the draft in favor of an F’ them picks strategy in trading draft capital for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Jaylen Ramsey, and then extending Tua Tagovailoa, Ramsey, and Hill when not required to do so—Chris Grier has not done himself any favors.

But I also think Grier is an easy target that may divert attention away from the main problem on this team. I would argue that the primary problem is Mike McDaniel.

First, let’s start with 2022. Whose idea was it really to abandon the idea of building through the draft in favor of trading for Tyreek Hill? Obviously, I don’t have the answer to that question; but all I can say is that Grier was building in prior years through amassing draft capital and making selections in the draft and then all of a sudden, when McDaniel was on board, we acquired Tyreek Hill for a treasure trove of draft picks.

Subsequently, we moved even more of our chips into the pot in 2022 when we traded for Bradley Chubb and then gave him an immediate extension. And we know that McDaniel is obsessed with player speed and has indicated that he would draft a pass rusher in every draft if possible. Could McDaniel be the driving force behind these acquisitions instead of patiently building?

That takes us to the wildcard round in Buffalo in January 2023. It is the fourth quarter, and the Dolphins are driving to tie or take the lead. The offense executes a running play on third down that appears to have gained close to the necessary yardage for a first down. However, the referees and line judges mark it short of the first down, and it is now fourth down. The problem is if you take him at his word, McDaniel was not aware it was fourth down and that the first down marker was not crossed. The result was a late play call, which led to a penalty on fourth down with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game. We stalled right around midfield and lost the game by 3 points. That result is entirely unacceptable in professional sports, let alone for a team that has not won a freaking playoff game in more than 24 years.

Let’s move on to the 2023 regular season… Miami is riding high heading into the Monday night clash with the Tennessee Titans, only to have the season begin its collapse at the end of the fourth quarter. Despite being labeled as an offensive genius, McDaniel could not solve the riddle that seemed to end the Dolphins’ season in 2021, as well (under Coach Brian Flores)—an aggressive Mike Vrabel-coached defense. That defense was designed to cause traffic in the middle of the field while pressing Miami’s speedy receiver duo. Then, even after squeaking out a win against the Cowboys, McDaniel’s offense could not solve the same defensive riddle against the Ravens for home field advantage, against the Bills in the home finale for the AFC East crown, and against the Chiefs in the wildcard round.

Moving on to the 2024 offseason, rumors were circulating out of Miami Gardens that the team was not interested in extending Tyreek Hill and would let Tua play out his fifth-year option. As training camp opened and training activities began, the team announced huge extensions for Hill and Tua that would tie the team to both players for the next few seasons. An extension was also given to Jaylen Ramsey after giving him a reworked contract the prior season. Those contracts continue to cripple this team and eliminate any kind of roster flexibility. And who did we learn was behind at least Tua’s extension—none other than Mike McDaniel. And though I don’t have proof, something tells me he was the driving force behind Hill and Ramsey’s extension to keep peace in the locker room.

And the previous point is directly related to my last and most important contention. Those contract extensions were given out because McDaniel cannot manage the personalities on the team with the “stick” approach, but rather relies on giving out “carrots” to his players. McDaniel does not engender confidence and is not a leader of men. He is a nice, smart and charming personality that you want along for the ride, but he is not and should not be the captain of the ship. And with the departures of Calais Campbell and Terron Armstead following 2024’s debacle of somehow not having an offense or a decent backup quarterback (again, McDaniel’s jurisdiction on the team), the situation could get worse in the locker room without the coach’s top sheriffs on each side of the ball.