Dolphins Head Coach On ‘Hottest Seat’ In NFL, Writer Says

The AFC East underwent two head coaching changes this offseason, and a third could be on the way shortly.

For fans of the New England Patriots and New York Jets, the hirings of Mike Vrabel and Aaron Glenn have led to an uptick in optimism and excitement levels.

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins’ head coaching situation is starting to give opposite vibes. On Thursday, McDaniel was described as having the NFL’s hottest seat by Yahoo’s Nate Tice, who was appearing as a guest on a new episode of “The Kevin O’Connor Show”.

“Which coach is entering the season on the hottest seat right now?” O’Connor asked Tice.

“Oh man, Mike McDaniel with the Dolphins,” Tice replied. “Weird vibe there.”

“Everything’s great when you’re scoring points and winning games … (but) what happens when you go on that first losing streak? All right, what happens if you … miss the playoffs?”

Tice also suggested that McDaniel is in an impossible position of having to immediately change Miami’s offensive philosophy without having the personnel to do so. Once built around speed, the Dolphins are now trying to be a more physical team.

“On top of it, (Miami’s) entire offense … entire philosophy is, ‘We’re gonna outrun and outspeed everybody,’ Tice said. “And now we have to turn the dial, and now we’re gonna try and be tough. You just don’t do that overnight. That’s a day one philosophy thing. You know, you’d have to bring in a whole new group of personnel. So it’s just one of these (situations) where … I feel like his time is done there … unless they just overhaul the whole thing.”

McDaniel, 42, was hired as the Dolphins’ head coach on February 6, 2022. McDaniel has a 28-23 regular season record and a 0-2 playoff record in Miami over three seasons. 

Last season, the Dolphins missed the postseason for the first time in the McDaniel era. Miami finished with an 8-9 record after starting the season 2-6.