The Miami Dolphins are winless, reeling, and watching “Fire Grier. Fire McDaniel” banners fly over their stadium.
The only time head coach Mike McDaniel beat the Buffalo Bills, he was passing the vibe check and the opposing bench was in the smoldering heat in Miami.
Now the Dolphins coach is on the hot seat.
There’s speculation that McDaniel could be fired with another abysmal Dolphins showing on Thursday Night Football at Highmark Stadium.
General manager Chris Grier isn’t safe, either.
The winless Dolphins (0-2) held a players-only meeting after an abysmal Week 1. They choked away a lead by giving up a kick return for a touchdown and had an interception and turnover on downs to end a Week 2 loss. They face a juggernaut in the Bills (2-0) at 8:20 with a primetime audience in Week 3.
Many Miami fans won’t tune in. It’s probably for the better. Josh Allen is 13-2 against the Dolphins, including six straight wins.
Dolphins fans used GoFundMe donations to fly an airplane with a “Fire Grier. Fire McDaniel” banner above Hard Rock Stadium prior to the home opener last week.
“I think if I worry about my job security, I won’t be doing my job,” McDaniel said. “I’ve never felt entitled to this position and it’s very important time to spend all my waking hours worrying about exactly how to do my job.”
Buffalo is second in the NFL in scoring (71 points) and Miami has allowed 33 points in each game to Daniel Jones and Drake Maye.
Dolphins’ ugly start in 2025
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had thrown three interceptions and the Dolphins are tied for last in the NFL with a minus-4 turnover differential.
Miami didn’t record its first defensive stop of the year until 11 possessions and a game and a half in, and that was only because Patriots QB Drake Maye kneeled to end the half. The Dolphins gave up points on their first 10 defensive possessions of the season, the worst streak in the NFL since at least 2000.
McDaniel began as an NFL unicorn, but this could be his swan song.
The Dolphins are called soft
Soft. That’s the word Dolphins players themselves have used.
Last year, former Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott, who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, said Miami was “soft as (expletive)” and the majority of its players were “not mentally tough individuals.”
Two weeks later, Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks called his team out after they missed 20 tackles in freezing temperatures in a Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“I thought we were soft,” Brooks said. “I don’t know if guys were too cold. I don’t know what it was. I felt like the elements played a part in how we played as a group and so those were the results we got.”
Tua Tagovailoa has never won a game with the temperature under 45 degrees.
The perception lingers: Miami shrinks when the weather turns cold, and so far, it hasn’t shaken the label.
Miami’s culture problem
Discipline, accountability, and buy-in have all been questioned in Miami.
Some Miami players reportedly didn’t like former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s old-school style in 2023. Then-Dolphins safety Jevon Holland seemed to celebrate when Miami parted ways with Fangio in 2024, posting a video of himself kicking rocks after the news broke. The Dolphins went 8-9 in 2024 and Fangio won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been the subject of trade speculation all calendar year after reportedly wanting out following the 2024 regular-season finale. He appeared to take himself out of the loss and told reporters after the game: “I’m out, bro.” Tagovailoa said this summer he and Hill needed to rebuild their relationship.
McDaniel acknowledged at his end-of-season press conference that he struggled with players being late to practices and meetings. His fines had no impact on his players’ behavior.
Miami traded cornerback Jalen Ramsey – who butted heads with McDaniel and the organization – and tight end Jonnu Smith, the team’s only Pro Bowl selection in 2025, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in June.
McDaniel has been criticized for being too lax with star players and putting up with lazy practices. The Dolphins preached all summer that they’d underwent a culture change.
The shine has worn off the NFL’s most idiosyncratic coach.
McDaniel has lost his luster
McDaniel didn’t have coaching experience when Miami hired him in 2022 after a controversial firing of Brian Flores. He was known as an offensive savant with a quirky personality from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. The Dolphins hoped he’d replicate the same success as future head coaches Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur that the elder Shanahan had mentored.
McDaniel came out firing with innovative offensive motions and quick passes to speeders. It led to three straight victories as head coach. Defeating Bill Belichick in his first game. Four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Ravens in his second game. Scrapping together a sweltering 21-19 win over the Bills in his third game. He’s lost six straight games against Buffalo since, although three have been three-point games.
McDaniel, in his fourth season, won 20 of his first 33 games. He’s 8-14 since, including a playoff loss. McDaniel currently has a regular season 28-25 record.
The Dolphins made the playoffs as a wild card in each of McDaniel’s first two seasons, going 9-8 and 11-6, respectively.
McDaniel is 3-15 against winning teams and 0-6 in his last six against Buffalo.
Dolphins playoff win drought
The Dolphins are closing in on a quarter-century since their last postseason victory. Miami has the NFL’s longest playoff win drought at 24 years. Its last victory was in the AFC Wild Card round on Dec. 30, 2000. The Dolphins have only made the playoffs five times since. Miami has also gone the longest in the league without reaching a conference championship game,
Miami has had 11 different head coaches, including interim head coaches, since 2000. That follows just three – George Wilson (1966-1969), Don Shula (1970-1995) and Jimmy Johnson (1996-1999) in the prior millennium.
The two interim coaches Miami let walk – the Lions’ Dan Campbell and Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles – have each led their teams to back-to-back division titles in the NFC.
GM Chris Grier’s shaky track record
Chris Grier has been with Miami since 2000 and GM since 2016, but his tenure is littered with questionable moves:
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills could end Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins coaching career 15 days into the season
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
