The Miami Dolphins have been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. That changed to an extent on Sunday when Miami officially named San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their next head coach.
McDaniel, 38, is seen as an innovative offensive mind around the NFL and is among the most-respected young coaches in the gridiron world.
Having worked with Kyle Shanahan throughout his career as a coach around the league, McDaniel brings some youthful exuberance with him to South Beach. It’s needed following the shocking firing of former head coach Brian Flores and with Flores himself claiming Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to pay him to tank.
Coming off a second consecutive winning season, there’s a lot to like about the Dolphins’ roster. Below, we look at three moves they should make after hiring McDaniel away from San Francisco.
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Miami Dolphins stick with the Tua Tagovailoa plan
The first move we’d suggest in Miami is actually a non-move. There’s been speculation that the Fins might move off Tagovailoa less than two years after making him the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Fortunately for those who want to see the former Alabama stud excel in South Beach, it’s looking more and more like he’ll be retained for 2022.
One of the primary sticking points between Flores and Dolphins general manager Chris Grier that led to the former being fired was their different stances on Tua. Grier wants to give the young quarterback a chance to succeed. Flores was looking at the possibility of acquiring Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans.
- Tua Tagovailoa stats: 66.2% completion, 4,467 passing yards, 33 total touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 88.8 rating (21 starts)
As you can see, those are not great stats. But the addition of McDaniel as Miami’s new head coach provides some optimism that Tua can turn things around. McDaniel helped turn Jimmy Garoppolo into a winner with the 49ers. He had previous success working with the likes of Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. There’s also a chance McDaniel brings 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello with him to Miami.
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Miami Dolphins find a legitimate running back
One of the biggest issues for Tua during his two-year run in Miami has been a lack of a consistent running game behind him. Miami finished 30th in rushing this past season and 22nd back in 2020. Enter into the equation a head coach in McDaniel who has had some tremendous success as a run-game coordinator in the past. If he’s able to land someone to consistently shoulder the load, it would be big. That wasn’t the case in 2021.
- Myles Gaskin stats: 612 rushing yards, 3.5 average, 3 touchdowns
- Duke Johnson stats: 330 rushing yards, 4.6 average, 3 touchdowns
- Salvon Ahmed stats: 149 rushing yards, 2.8 average
An estimated $64.67 million under the projected 2022 NFL salary cap, Miami can actually afford to exhaust some financial capital at running back. The likes of Melvin Gordon and James Conner would be seen as scheme fits. Former 49ers star Raheem Mostert also jumps out as a possibility after he put up a record-setting performance under Mike McDaniel in Northern California.
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Miami Dolphins go offensive in 2022 NFL Draft
Miami boasts the 29th pick in the upcoming draft stemming from its trade with the 49ers last spring. It also has two first-round selections in 2023. There’s a lot of draft capital for the Fins to build up a nice amount of talent. Going with an offensive-minded head coach, there’s every reason to believe this side of the ball will be a target.
Primarily, we’re looking at a wide receiver to go with stud youngster Jaylen Waddle. Whether it’s trading up for someone like Alabama’s Jameson Williams or targeting former Penn State star Jahan Dotson, this should be an area of focus for the Dolphins.