Where Mike McDaniel and Staff Land in National Ranking

Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins coaching staff have plenty to prove in 2025. 

While last season was the first time Miami failed to reach the playoffs in the McDaniel era, another campaign was added to the franchise’s 25-year streak without a postseason win. Despite the high ceiling of McDaniel’s offense, ESPN’s Ben Solak believes that his staff is starting to lose some of its momentum.

After ranking McDaniel and Miami’s staff number 9 entering the 2024 season, Solak dropped McDaniel and company to 19th, just behind third-year head coach Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff. 

The lack of an effective fallback option at quarterback played a hefty role in dropping the Dolphins’ coaches into the league’s bottom half.  

“McDaniel has built a spectacular offense for maximizing Tagovailoa's strengths -- the quick decisions, the lightning-fast release,” Solak wrote. “But his backup quarterbacks can't maintain the offense when Tagovailoa gets hurt. Good offensive coaches can build a system, but great offensive coaches can bend it around personnel issues. That's still missing in Miami.”

The Dolphins went from 28 points per game in 2023 when Tagovailoa played all 17 games, but that number dropped to 20.3 last season. Injuries limited Tagovailoa to 11 games, and Miami failed to exceed 15 points in four of the six games without him in the lineup.

Worthy of the Drop?

Despite Miami’s 28–23 record, which is sixth-best in the AFC since 2022, pressure is mounting, and drama has only added fuel to the fire.

Jalen Ramsey requested a trade less than a year after signing a new contract with the franchise. Odell Beckham Jr. was signed to be the missing offensive piece, but was waived midseason after managing just nine catches in nine games. Tyreek Hill ended the year telling reporters he was "out."

Going back to the previous year, former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left after one season, when Miami blew a three-game division lead with five weeks remaining. Adding to Fangio’s story, he then joined the Philadelphia Eagles as defensive coordinator and helped them win Super Bowl 59.

“The fact that McDaniel never got the locker room and ex-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio aligned also looks worse for McDaniel the further we get from the falling out,” Solak wrote. “Fangio did some good work in Philadelphia last season, in case you missed it. The good news is Weaver was a quality defensive coordinator last season, which keeps the Dolphins ranked fairly highly here.”

Under Weaver, the Dolphins held the opposing offenses to the league’s fourth-fewest yards last season (314.3). On top of that, McDaniel’s offense finished top three in yards per play in two of the last three years. 

From the collapse in the division race to their quarterback depth issues, the Dolphins’ low points under McDaniel have been impossible to ignore — and Solak’s rankings reflect that. However, there’s a reason the Dolphins have remained in the playoff mix. McDaniel’s offense can produce at a high level, and despite the dysfunction Miami has shown it can contend when things are clicking.

Brian Flores and the Top-Ranked Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings were Solak’s 10th-ranked coaching staff last season and climbed to first after going 14-3 last season with Sam Darnold starting at quarterback. A former first-round pick by the New York Jets, Darnold was forced into the starting role when rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason. 

Head coach Kevin O’Connell was named the AP Coach of the Year, and the defense allowed 19.9 points per game under second-year coordinator Brian Flores, Miami's head coach from 2019 through 2021. Even with Darnold at quarterback, Solak praised both O’Connell and Flores for maximizing talent.

The Vikings ranked fourth in points allowed per game and were one of four defenses to hold opponents under 20 points last season. Minnesota’s defense finished the year ranked second in rushing yards allowed per game (93.2) but 29th in passing yards allowed per game (239.8). 

For those keeping score, the Dolphins coaching staff was ranked ahead of those of the division rivals New York Jets (28th) and New England Patriots (20th). The Buffalo Bills had the highest-ranked coaching staff in the AFC East, coming in at number 7 in the NFL.

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