What did Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel tell players amid 0-2 start, job security whispers?

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel insisted that he's focused on the upcoming "Thursday Night Football" game against the Buffalo Bills rather than on whether or not he'll keep his job. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed what McDaniel told his players as they prepared for a potential blowout at Buffalo's Highmark Stadium. 

How is Dolphins' culture amid 0-2 start? 

"Mike McDaniel's messaging to the Dolphins amid the 0-2 skid, according to a player I spoke to this week: 'Be present and control what you can, knowing it doesn't matter if 0-2 or 2-0. The only thing that matters this week is beating Buffalo,'" Fowler shared. "Dolphins players still believe that Miami's locker room is strong enough to reverse course. They believe the culture is better after the franchise moved on from several key players, many of whom did not appear happy there."

In the summer, Brian Miller of Phin Phanatic noted that Miami's biggest departures off the offseason were safety Jevon Holland, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. Holland signed with the New York Giants in free agency, while the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Ramsey and Smith from the Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a pick swap.

The Miami defense subsequently left much to be desired with its play in back-to-back losses. According to ESPN stats, the Dolphins head into the Buffalo game ranked 31st in the league with an average of 33 points surrendered per contest. 

Mike McDaniel's "very clear" situation may be dire

During the preseason, McDaniel acknowledged that it was "very clear that everyone is depending on me to be better every single year" after he failed to guide the Dolphins to a playoff win over his first three seasons. For Wednesday's article, ESPN's Dan Graziano painted a gloomy picture regarding Miami's short-term future. 

"I also didn't think the Dolphins were going to be as terrible as most people thought, and my optimism has been difficult to defend," Graziano wrote. "They're 0-2 and have looked bad in both games, and it's hard to imagine them turning it around at Buffalo on Thursday. The Dolphins did a lot of work in the offseason to try to transform their team culture, but the on-field product has been tough to watch. They need to make improvements fast."

As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Dolphins as 11.5-point underdogs against the Bills. These odds suggest that certain league insiders believe Miami will require more than just a couple of "improvements" to keep up with Buffalo.