When Mike McDaniel was hired by the Miami Dolphins in 2022, the team wasn’t a disaster. In their last two seasons with Brian Flores, the Dolphins finished with winning records, even if they came up just short of postseason appearances.
However, there was a significant question mark for the franchise at the time: Tua Tagovailoa.
The former No. 5 overall pick finished 2021 with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, just enough to keep his job but not nearly enough to generate much optimism. Flores lost all faith in Tagovailoa and the Dolphins reportedly made a push to land Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans.
That left McDaniel with a rehabilitation project on his hands in Tagovailoa. Two years later, the quarterback’s career 180 is the biggest reason why McDaniel is reportedly receiving a well-earned contract extension through the 2028 season.
Tagovailoa’s renaissance saw him endure concussion scares in 2022 that threatened to end his career. A year later, he was the NFL’s leading passer during a Pro Bowl season in 2023. It’s a turnaround that not only saved Tagovailoa’s career, but has positioned the Dolphins to be a contender for years to come.
And that’s why McDaniel is sticking around. Postseason success will need to come soon, as patience for early exits in January will wear thin. But significant injuries (Tagovailoa in 2022; and just about every Dolphins pass rusher in 2023) offer reason to believe the team’s postseason failures are more of a consequence of bad luck rather than a defining trait that will always be a hurdle.
For now, though, the Dolphins seem well-positioned for the foreseeable future with a 26-year-old quarterback of the future, a stockpile of playmakers, and several defensive stars.
Are there issues? Sure. The team’s offensive line is a deficiency — no matter what Dolphins brass and Tagovailoa say — and one-year contracts aren’t a long-term fix along the defensive line.
But McDaniel has essentially erased the team’s biggest concern from two years ago and, for that, he’s earned his extension.
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