Why Mike McDaniel was given a chance to save Dolphins' season after Chris Grier move

The Miami Dolphins fell to 2-7 on the season via an ugly 28-6 "Thursday Night Football" loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 30. The next day, the Dolphins and general manager Chris Grier "mutually" agreed to part ways. 

The Dolphins have since earned three straight wins to improve to 5-7. Shortly after Miami notched a 21-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints (2-10) on Sunday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared why Dolphins owner Stephen Ross gave head coach Mike McDaniel a chance to turn things around for the club after the Grier decision was made. 

Mike McDaniel never lost Dolphins locker room despite reports

"Through September and October, Mike McDaniel was seen by many as a dead man walking in Miami," Breer wrote. "However, while rumblings suggested that the locker room had gone sideways, those in the upper reaches of the Dolphins’ organization held that McDaniel had not lost the players. In fact, this was a primary reason why they decided not to let him go and give wildly popular defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver a run when Grier was fired."

Breer was seemingly referencing a September report that detailed alleged culture issues within the Dolphins during McDaniel's tenure, which began in 2022. Outside of such whispers, McDaniel tallied no playoff wins in his first three seasons in charge. On Halloween, it seemed to be a matter of when and not if McDaniel would be shown the door. 

However, the Dolphins could now remain part of postseason conversations through at least Christmas. Miami plays at the New York Jets (3-9) on Dec. 7. On Dec. 15, the Dolphins will play at the 6-6 Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 16, Miami hosts the Cincinnati Bengals (4-8).

What changed for Dolphins after Chris Grier move? 

On Sunday, veteran Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick told Breer how "leaders of the locker room gathered their peers and delivered a tough-love ultimatum to spark some level of change" on Halloween. It appears that the meeting could result in McDaniel holding onto his job through the upcoming offseason. 

"Actually, one of the points that we as leaders of the team came together and wanted to communicate was that we still have a lot of football left, we have a lot of talent on this team, we trust our coaches," Fitzpatrick explained. "And we just had to continue to lean into each other. And I feel like we’ve done a really good job of that. We just got closer and started executing at a higher level."

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Dolphins as 2.5-point road favorites versus the Jets. If nothing else, recent history suggests McDaniel's players will be ready for a battle when they enter MetLife Stadium on the first Sunday of December.