Sportsnaut
A new report suggests a former head coach for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills is emerging as an early favorite to replace Mike McDaniel if the Miami Dolphins fire him this season.
After a Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the heat on Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is as high as ever. Entering this week’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami owns a 1-4 record, and there is no reason to expect a huge turnaround. Their record has only intensified the weeks-long speculation that McDaniel’s time in South Beach is nearly over.
Earlier this season, Sportskeeda NFL insider Tony Pauline was one of the first reporters hearing rumblings from sources in Miami that owner Stephen Ross was losing his patience with McDaniel. And he needed to show immediate signs of improvement in the weeks ahead, or his tenure with the team would end before he could complete year four.
On Tuesday, Pauline offered up a major update on McDaniel’s status and claimed his sources have told him the coach will get two or three more games to save his job or he will be fired. So who could replace him in 2026? The NFL reporter revealed an early favorite as well.
“Sources say they expect the owner to target a disciplinarian type of coach with experience in the league, someone in the Dan Quinn mold,” Pauline wrote. “One name that has been speculated as a possibility if Mike McDaniel gets canned is ESPN analyst Rex Ryan.”
Ryan has been out of the NFL following a 15-16 run as the head coach of the Bills. In that time, he has mostly served as an NFL analyst for ESPN. While his tenure in Buffalo was just okay, he still has a pair of trips to the AFC Championship game during his six seasons with the Jets on his resume.
Furthermore, while being viewed as a disciplinarian, he has often been well-liked by his players. Plus, he has always been respected for his abilities as a defensive guru. Ross is likely looking for a coach who will be tougher on players after several stars and captains got into the habit of missing meetings and leaving practice early under McDaniel’s watch.
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