Would Mike McDaniel make sense for Browns after firing from Dolphins?

"The offensive numbers and production speak for themselves," a defensive coach told The Athletic's Mike Sando in a story published in November 2023. "He is calling the offense, he is designing the offense, he's creating the motions we haven't seen in the NFL before. They look Canadian to us."  

That season, the Dolphins finished second in the NFL in points scored (29.2), going 11-6 and making the playoffs. The scheme flourished because of McDaniel's ability to maximize the talents of offensive skill players, including wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. He won't have weapons like those in Cleveland. 

In 2025, the Browns ranked second-to-last in the league in passing yards (165.2) and points scored (16.4). Tight end Harold Fannin Jr., a 2025 third-round pick out of Bowling Green, led the team in receiving yards (731, No. 41 in the NFL). 

More importantly, Cleveland lacks a clear answer at quarterback. The Browns started Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this season. Cleveland traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals after he tossed two touchdown passes and six interceptions in four games.

Sanders, a 2025 fifth-round pick out of Colorado, led the team in passing yards (1,400) but didn't cement himself as the future of the franchise, tossing seven TD passes and 10 interceptions in eight games.

The Browns (who own the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft) may be out of range to select one of the top QB prospects in a class thin at the position. ESPN's Matt Miller lists two QBs (Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore) on his 11 players with true first-round grades.   

McDaniel went 15-19 in his last two seasons with Miami. That may make him the wrong guy for the Browns, who clearly have a less talented roster than the Dolphins.