Dolphins players defend HC Mike McDaniel amid job security whispers

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel found himself answering questions about his job security shortly after his club fell to 0-2 on the season via a 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots this past Sunday. 

On Monday, Miami linebacker Chop Robinson defended McDaniel amid calls from fans for team ownership to make wholesale changes sooner rather than later. 

Chop Robinson insists Miami Dolphins players owe Mike McDaniel better

"At the end of the day, it’s not him out there on the field," Robinson said about McDaniel, per Alanis Thames of the Associated Press. "It’s us out there playing the game, making the mistakes on the field and stuff like that. So at the end of the day, it may look bad for him, but it’s really on us. We’ve got to get it better."

After the Dolphins suffered a humbling 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7, a plane banner flew over Miami's Hard Rock Stadium calling for the firings of McDaniel and Dolphins general manager Chris Grier in Week 2. McDaniel initially was the subject of hot-seat rumors throughout the summer, largely because he failed to guide Miami to a single playoff win over his first three seasons in charge. That was before the Dolphins were responsible for the league's second-worst point differential (-31) for the first two weeks of the ongoing campaign. 

Mike McDaniel isn't losing Miami Dolphins locker room

"He’s a players’ coach who believes in his players," Dolphins left tackle Patrick Paul added about McDaniel. "He inspires us and speaks confidence into us and makes us go out there with a sense of urgency and confidence through the technique that all these coaches that he’s brought in for us. We love him."

Such support may mean a great deal to McDaniel, but the harsh reality regarding his situation is that things may worsen for the 2025 Dolphins before they improve. This coming Thursday night, Miami has to play at a 2-0 Buffalo Bills side that DraftKings Sportsbook had as the overall betting favorite at +425 odds to win Super Bowl LX as of Tuesday morning. At that same time, ESPN BET had the Dolphins as massive 12.5-point underdogs for the prime-time showdown at Buffalo's Highmark Stadium.