For the first time since 2019, the Miami Dolphins were unable to achieve a winning record. The 2024 campaign was marred by further concussion concerns for starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and instability at the game’s most crucial position ultimately contributed to the Dolphins’ demise, as they finished 8-9 last season.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Enters Crucial 2025
Head coach Mike McDaniel embarks on his fourth season with Miami at the age of 42. Although they dealt with injury trouble, McDaniel and the Dolphins had their worst season under his tenure thus far. At the heels of his first losing season as head coach, the criticism has begun.
Entering an undeniably crucial year for both team and personal reasons, McDaniel may be on the hot seat. During a segment of “NFL on NBC,” NFL analysts Mike Florio and Michael Holley discuss what has transpired and what is next for the Dolphins’ fourth-year boss.
“Mike McDaniel has a certain vibe,” Florio said. “He’s gonna show up and start breaking stuff and calling out Tua in front of the team. He’s gonna start treating Tua the way that Brian Flores did? I don’t think so. I don’t think that’s how it’s gonna work.”
Florio sees the Dolphins as a disheveled group with a lack of identity all at the hands of McDaniel. The analyst argues that McDaniel’s laid-back personality is now well established, making it nearly impossible for him to change that perception.
“Once you’ve been in a place long enough, that’s who you are,” Florio said. “First of all, you can’t change into something you’re not. Second of all, they’re not gonna take it credibly. Mike McDaniel, this ultra-chill guy who gets along with everybody and he’s gonna show up and be Belichick. It doesn’t work that way.”
Florio believes Miami wants to have their cake and eat it too.
“They’re trying to change coaches, without changing coaches,” Florio said. “To me, and I don’t know how the seasons gonna go and that’s part of the fun of it; but if I had to pick one team that was most likely to fail this year, the Dolphins would be the team probably that I select.”
Dolphins Face Uncertain Future After Rare Run of Success
For the first time in nearly two decades, McDaniel led the Dolphins to three of their four straight seasons above .500. The last time the Dolphins managed such consistent success was from 1997 to 2003, when Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt were at the helm.
After 2004, the team had just two winning seasons over the next eight years. The tragic fall-off is something Miami does not want to repeat after their disappointing 2024. Can McDaniel right the ship or is Florio correct, and a decline looms?