Who Will Replace McDaniel If He’s Fired?

Who Will Replace McDaniel If He’s Fired?

When your team is 1-4, you start to come to terms with the reality that the entire season will likely lead nowhere. No playoff chases, no Super Bowl aspirations, just mock drafts and speculation on who will lose their job should the losing continue. That’s where many Dolphins fans find themself heading into week 6. 

The most likely candidate for firing seems to be head coach Mike McDaniel. Once considered a prime example of a young coach reshaping the game, he is now maligned for his soft approach with his players. When times were good, he was beloved, but now that the tide has turned, he’s found few friends amongst the fanbase.

His 29-27 record heading into this week is subpar, as is the late-season collapse his teams have suffered during his tenure. It’s clear that a new start for him and the franchise may be on the horizon, but if so, who would team owner Stephen Ross turn to? 

Rex Ryan 

Rex Ryan has a 61-66 career record as the head man for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He’s best known for coaching the Jets to back-to-back AFC championship games with Mark Sanchez at quarterback. He’s a much more classic style of coach than McDaniel, something that NFL insider Tony Pauline has pointed out Ross may prefer. It should be noted that in his prime, Ryan was an excellent defensive coach, defeating a prime Tom Brady and the Patriots on several occasions.

However, he caught lightning in a bottle during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but has never been able to recapture it. His stint with Buffalo is forgettable, and now he’s been working as an analyst for ESPN for the past few years. I just can’t see how this would be a success. He’s proven that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a long-term success as a head coach. 

Bill Belichick 

Bill Belichick is currently the head coach of the University of North Carolina, where he’s started off his first season 2-3. There are rumors swirling that the two sides may be headed for a divorce. Reports of a lack of direction and a possible buyout of his contract have sparked an interest among some fans in hiring the championship coach. Let’s make one thing clear: Belichick is the greatest coach of the 2000s, a man who shaped the game and narratives of nearly 30 years of the sport.

However, based on his last few years in New England, it feels like the game has passed him by. Add in the fact that he is dating a woman who has seemingly taken on the role of girlfriend/media mogu,l and he becomes an even less desirable hire.

Also, not for nothing, Miami legend Don Shula was none too fond of Belichick, referring to him as Beli-cheat in reference to the Spygate saga. 

John Harbaugh 

The Dolphins have at times been linked to John Harbaugh’s brother Jim, who ended up being hired by the Los Angeles Chargers last season. This possibility presupposes that Harbaugh is fired by the Baltimore Ravens, who are also currently 1-4. At first glance, this may seem impossible. Not only is he a Super Bowl champion coach for the Ravens, but they have been in the mix almost every season he’s been their head coach.

However, Ravens fans have been frustrated with his inability to get his team over the hump and into a Super Bowl. With Lamar Jackson dealing with an injury that will see him missing time, it is possible that Baltimore falls even further out of contention, and the two sides part ways.

Although it’s uncertain whether this will come to fruition, Harbaugh would be my choice to replace McDaniel if it does. He seems to fit the mold of what Ross is supposedly after and doesn’t feel like the game has passed him by. If I had to submit a pick, it would be Harbaugh. 

So that’s where we’re at as we near the midseason checkpoint. I’m no longer looking at the standings to determine Miami’s path to the playoffs, but instead speculating about who could be the next head coach. It’s an unfortunate turn of events, but not one that we’re too unfamiliar with as Dolphins fans.

I still hold out hope that the team can turn things around, but it’s starting to feel more like a pipedream than a realistic possibility. Who would you like to see replace McDaniel should the season continue to spiral out of control? Let me know in the comments!