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Shortly after Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced on Friday that the Dolphins and general manager Chris Grier had "mutually" agreed to part ways, a report revealed that Mike McDaniel would "remain Miami’s head coach for the remainder of the season at least." It appears not everybody is convinced McDaniel will stay employed through Week 18 of the ongoing campaign. When could Dolphins part ways with Mike McDaniel? "Nothing is guaranteed for McDaniel at the end of the season, or even over the next few weeks, including a stand-alone game in Madrid followed by a bye," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote on Monday. "But he has a chance to prove himself, as Ross, team president Tom Garfinkel and Ross' advisors try to chart a course. I would guess that leads the Dolphins to a new head of football ops, and that person would make a call on McDaniel — unless McDaniel’s grip on the locker room slips (that’d be the one way McDaniel could still lose his job in-season)." McDaniel was the subject of hot-seat rumors long before the Dolphins fell to 2-7 on the season via an ugly 28-6 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Thursday night. The Dolphins notched zero postseason wins over McDaniel's first three campaigns in charge, and the club's culture under the advertised offensive guru has come into question. On Monday, Miami made it known the club is ready to sell ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline when it agreed to send pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 third-round draft pick. In short, things could get worse for the 2025 Dolphins before they get better. Why Stephen Ross may be ready to blow things up Miami hosts the 6-2 Buffalo Bills on Nov. 9 before the Dolphins face the Washington Commanders (3-6) in Madrid on Nov. 16. It seems as if Breer thinks there's a chance Ross could fire McDaniel during Miami's Week 12 bye. "Ross, now in his 18th season as owner, hasn’t won a playoff game," Breer added. "His once-proud franchise last won one in Grier’s first year there as a scout, and Dave Wannstedt’s first year as coach (2000). That’s the longest such drought in the NFL, which illustrates how far they are from the days of Dan Marino in South Florida." As of Monday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Dolphins as 8.5-point home underdogs against the Bills. On paper, the roster McDaniel will have available to him for that matchup will be weaker than the one that was blown out on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 9.
