The Miami Dolphins’ interview list was revealed in what will be a pivotal week for the team’s next coach.
The Dolphins are reportedly interviewing San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coordinators Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore on Thursday, and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance on Friday. Joseph and Los Angeles Rams running back coach Thomas Browne. . The interview schedule was NFL network reports Wednesday morning.
In addition to this list of five, according to multiple reports, two other high-profile candidates requested by the Dolphins, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daball and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, were polled Sunday.
All seven coached in this year’s playoffs. Daball and Frazier are impressed with the Bills’ offense and defense, respectively, in Buffalo’s 47–17 victory over the New England Patriots. McDaniel, while not calling for the 49ers, helped develop an effective offensive game plan for the Cowboys’ only loss in the wild card round at the expense of Quinn and Moore. The Brown Rams got the better of the Joseph Cardinals on Monday night.
The Miami head coach position is open following the firing of former coach Brian Flores on January 10. He was 24-25 in three seasons at the helm of the Dolphins and completed consecutive winning seasons before the organization parted ways with him. .
McDaniel, 38, is one of three candidates under the age of 40. He is a Yale graduate who has a long association with San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan. McDaniel is wrapping up his first season coordinating the 49ers’ offense after having been a tag team coordinator since 2017, when Shanahan first got the job in San Francisco. The 49ers’ play was a strong point in their offense as they reached the Super Bowl in 2019 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium.
This is the second offseason in a row that the Dolphins have been chasing McDaniel. Last January, he was interviewed for the Miami Open as offensive coordinator, which eventually passed to coordinators George Godsey and Eric Studesville after the departure of Chan Gailey.
Quinn, 51, is the candidate with the most experience and success as a head coach. He was at the helm of the Falcons from 2015 to 2020 and was the franchise’s leader when it lost 28-3 to the Patriots in the Super Bowl with Shanahan and McDaniel on staff. He had a record of 46-44, including playoffs, as head coach.
While coordinating the Cowboys’ defense this season, Quinn was also the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks’ treacherous Legion of Boom defense in 2013 and 2014, winning one Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos and losing in the big game the following year to New England. Quinn, like Daball and Joseph, had already made stops in Miami as the Dolphins’ defensive line coach under Nick Saban in 2005 and 2006.
Moore, 33, could be held accountable for some of Dallas’ offensive miscalculations along with coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Duck Prescott in Sunday’s loss to San Francisco. He’s the candidate that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would most identify with as the last left-handed quarterback to start an NFL game ahead of Tagovailoa.
After a brilliant college career at Boise State and six seasons as an NFL reserve and practice quarterback, Moore quickly rose through the ranks from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator for the Cowboys in one season.
This story will be updated.
