NFL Trade Rumors
ESPN’s Dan Graziano says there are a number of people in the league who believe Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel has managed to find his way back to solid footing in terms of his job security.
The Dolphins are 3-0 since firing GM Chris Grier and are currently at 5-7, miraculously still in the playoff hunt in the AFC. Graziano writes ownership still believes in McDaniel and the coach remains well-liked in the building.
With no obvious upgrades available in the pool of available candidates, Graziano adds it shouldn’t be shocking at all to see McDaniel back in 2026.
Regarding Falcons HC Raheem Morris, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler asked around and was told Blank has a lot of respect for Morris and would not make a rash decision. Although Atlanta is 4-8, Fowler would be surprised if Blank fired Morris before the end of the season.
Fowler adds there’s at least some smoke around Morris’ job security but there’s still a chance for him to turn things around down the stretch and earn a third season, albeit with staffing changes on special teams and probably offense.
Fowler writes that Browns HC Kevin Stefanski‘s job security comes up often in his conversations with league sources, with execs from other teams believing he would have a lot of options if Cleveland decided to move on.
“He’s a good coach, experienced, two-time Coach of the Year — Cleveland is a hard place to win,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “He might need a fresh start elsewhere.”
Whether or not Stefanski ends up available is far more up in the air at this point. There hasn’t been much buzz that ownership considers either him or GM Andrew Berry on thin ice.
McDaniel, 42, started his coaching career in 2005 as an intern with the Broncos. From 2006-2016, he had stints as an offensive assistant and WR coach for Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta before joining the 49ers as run game coordinator in 2017.
He remained in that position through 2020 and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021. The Dolphins then hired him in 2022 and signed him to a four-year contract.
During his four years in Miami, McDaniel has led them to a record of 33-30, which includes two playoff appearances.
Morris, 49, began coaching at Hofstra as a graduate assistant back in 1998. He later took his first NFL coaching job with the Buccaneers as their defensive quality control coach and managed to work his way up to head coach in 2009.
The Buccaneers fired Morris after three seasons. He spent a few years with Washington before the Falcons hired him as their assistant head coach/DBs coach in 2015. After being let go with the rest of the coaching staff in 2020, he was hired by the Rams as their defensive coordinator.
The Falcons then re-hired Morris as their head coach in 2024.
So far, Morris has a record of 12-17 in his second stint with the Falcons and second stint as a...
