The Miami Dolphins have a new head coach after making the decision to hire highly-rated San Francisco OC Mike McDaniel on Sunday.
The 38-year-old McDaniel ran the Niners offense in 2021 after spending four years developing one of the league’s most dominant and innovative run games.
McDaniel, along with San Fran head coach Kyle Shanahan, developed a futuristic scheme which made the likes of RB/WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle virtually impossible to defend. It became a unit which did not need to rely on a franchise quarterback to win.
Flores lawsuit
The move by Miami comes after a tumultuous few days in South Florida, following the decision by McDaniel’s predecessor Brian Flores to take legal action against the Dolphins.
Flores, fired in January after two consecutive winning seasons with the Fish, filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams - Miami, Denver and the New York Giants. It alleges racist hiring practices and discrimination, and also that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay Flores $100,000 for every game lost by Miami in 2019.
Flores alleges Ross made the offer in the hope of Miami gaining a better position in the 2020 NFL Draft, while Ross denies the claims.
McDaniel is multi-racial, and San Francisco will receive two compensatory third-round draft picks after what is the first minority HC hire of the current off-season.
Offense, and Tua, the priority
The priority for McDaniel will be to add pep to a Miami offense which finished just 25th in total yards in 2021. The run game was even worse, ranking 30th overall.
In a tale as old as time, the big question mark for the Dolphins is at quarterback, with the jury still very much out on former first-round pick Tua Tagavailoa as he heads towards his third year in the league. The team reportedly tried to trade for Deshaun Watson in late 2021.
McDaniel does have some pieces to work with though as he looks ahead to the 2022 NFL season, headed by talented 2021 rookie WR Jaylen Waddle and a really promising defense.
Miami has not made the playoffs since 2016, and has not won the AFC East title since 2008.
McDaniel’s hire means there are now just two remaining head coach vacancies in the league - in New Orleans and Houston.
