Mike McDaniel is feeling the pressure from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross

Mike McDaniel may be facing the beginning of the end of his tenure as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

If that truly is the case, what a strange run it has been. At one time, he was seen as one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL. When he took the job in Miami at just 39 years old in 2022, he took the franchise to back-to-back playoff appearances and ran one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.

Now? McDaniel is 1-4 on the season and coming off a game that saw his Dolphins lose to the Carolina Panthers, 27-24, after boasting a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.

The Dolphins' only win this season has come against the 0-5 New York Jets, and owner Stephen Ross is apparently starting to lose his patience.

That's according to McDaniel himself, who told the media on Monday that he and Ross vented their frustrations together after the loss.

"He was really frustrated, just like I was," McDaniel said on Monday, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. "We talked about the challenge ahead to get ready for the Chargers, and that was really the extent of it."

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat 

If Ross is really frustrated with McDaniel and the state of the organization — and there's no reason to believe otherwise — it's interesting to look at his recent history as an owner as it relates to the coaches he has hired and fired.

Joe Philbin went 23-25 in his first three seasons and was fired during his fourth season on the job after starting off 1-3. Adam Gase went 23-25 and was fired after his third season. Brian Flores went 24-25 and was fired after his third season.

History suggests that McDaniel is right at the point where Ross' patience wears thin. He's gone 28-23 over his first three seasons, but counting the five games from 2025, he's now a middling 29-27 as head coach in Miami.

With a game against the 3-2 Los Angeles Chargers up next, McDaniel could easily find himself at 1-5 on the season, and at that point, nobody would be surprised if Ross decided to pull the plug.

If McDaniel is going to save his job, it has to start with beating the Chargers, but that's easy to say. He seems to understand that words no longer matter. He needs to produce results because his words have been falling flat.

"It's frustrating because there's a lot of talking, and we need to major in doing," McDaniel said. "I don't think anybody wants to hear me talk about it as much as I don't feel like saying it, but it doesn't change the steadfast reality that is: You have to get better at things or you'll continue having the same results."