Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel may have been let go due to his plan to "hand Quinn Ewers" the keys in 2026.
The Miami Dolphins had a tumultuous offseason, as the organization chose to blow things up and reset. Initially, it was believed that head coach Mike McDaniel would remain, but he was fired at the outset of the rebuild.
Now, it appears that McDaniel had a specific plan in place for 2026, which could have been the reason why he was relieved of his duties. During a podcast appearance, former Dolphins tight end Darren Waller spoke about being present when the coach was fired, and the plans he had before being let go.
Waller spoke about picking a later time to do his exit meeting with McDaniel, and he was told that the coach wanted him back and the plan to make Quinn Ewers the starter in 2026.
"I came in at 9:30, and was talking to Mike. He was like, 'Man, I am excited about next season, we definitely want you back.' He was talking about how he was going to give the keys to Quinn Ewers, bring people in to compete with him, and all these plans that he had...," Waller said.
Waller then went into how Dolphins owner Stephen Ross then came in and asked to speak to McDaniel. The tight end read the room, and took his exit, which was followed by reports that the head coach had been fired.
Let's back up a bit. Apart from Waller discussing the awkward nature of being present when McDaniel was fired, he more importantly discussed what the coach's plan was for 2026.
The idea was to give the "keys" to Ewers, meaning McDaniel viewed him as the starting quarterback in 2026. Granted, Waller did indicate he also said he would bring in competition, but it appeared the idea was to give him a shot to be the starter.
Could this be one of the reasons why McDaniel was uncerimoniously fired?
This is not a knock against Ewers, who may turn into a viable starter at some point in is career, but giving him the chance to start after limited time may have been a reason that the former Dolphins head coach was fired.
The Dolphins have been stuck in mediocrity for decades and have not won a playoff game in over 25 years. The idea of handing the offense to an unproven quarterback with clear limitations may have reminded Ross of the Tua Tagovailoa situation all over again.
Granted, just because Ewers was given the chance to be the starter, that does not mean he would have won the job. However, McDaniel had a clear plan in place for the young signal caller, and that may have been enough for Ross to know he had to make some huge changes.
Even the idea of "tanking" to land a top quarterback in 2027, like Oregon's Dante Moore or Texas' Arch Manning, may not have gone over well to an owner who has had to watch coach after coach fail to lead his team to win some meaningful football games.
The Dolphins organization has gone through a bit too much turmoil over the course of the last two and a half decades, so the only answer was to blow everything up and truly start from scratch.
That was the case for Ross, who fired McDaniel and brought in Jon-Eric Sullivan as the new general manager, and Jeff Hafley as the new head coach.
McDaniel was a solid coach, but his loyalty to Tagovailoa may have been the main reason he was fired. That, coupled with the idea that he would want to give an unproven rookie the chance to lead the offense, could have been the last straw.
Either way, Miami is now entering a new era with a brand-new team across the board. While some veterans have remained, the roster has gone through significant changes, as has the coaching staff and front office.
Time will tell if this new-look Dolphins team will finally emerge as a playoff contender, or fall into the dreaded mediocrity the team has been subject to for many years.
