NFL Rumors: Dolphins honing in on next HC

The Miami Dolphins should be quite proud of their 2021-2022 NFL season. The team followed a seven-game losing streak with seven consecutive wins.

After starting the season with a record of 1-8, Miami scratched and clawed their way to a final record of 9-8.

Head coach Brian Flores was unexpectedly relieved of his duties, and now the Dolphins are in the hunt for their next head coach.

According to NFL journalist Bobby Thompson, the Dolphins have their eyes on San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

"As I reported, Dolphins are very high on 49ers OC Mike McDaniel and he is considered the frontrunner to land the HC job per source," Thompson wrote on Twitter.

McDaniel has vast coaching experience in the NFL, despite being only 38 years of age. He has been employed as a part of the league since 2005 when he was an intern with the Denver Broncos.

He was the running game coordinator for the 49ers from 2017-2020 before taking over the reins as the OC this season. McDaniel was also an offensive assistant to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when he was the OC with the Atlanta Falcons in their run to Super Bowl LI.

NFL Rumors: Would the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel be an improvement over previous HC Brian Flores?

New England Patriots v Miami Dolphins

Despite Flores having an overall record of 24-25 during his brief three-year tenure with Miami, the team earned back-to-back winning seasons, including a 9-8 campaign this year.

Before determining whether or not McDaniel would be an upgrade over Flores, one must first take a look at the circumstances surrounding the last few seasons. The team drafted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The University of Alabama standout was coming off of an injury and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to practice before the start of that season.

Without the ability to meet, train and learn the playbook as a rookie, Miami were already at a deficit with Tua. The team was still able to earn a 10-6 record that season.

Flores was able to get the most out of his players, despite all teams that season losing ground due to the pandemic.

Although Mike McDaniel has been in the league since 2005, this is his first as an offensive coordinator. He's had the opportunity to learn from one of the most innovative minds in the game in Kyle Shanahan.

As such, he likely has a great understanding of offensive concepts and the dynamic running game that Shanahan has been known to employ.

But being a head coach entails more than Xs and Os. For McDaniel to best Flores as an improvement at the position, he will need to show an ability to gain the trust of the players in the locker room and to relate to them in a way that Flores could.