Fansided

Ranking NFL coaches by hotness of their seat

By Nick Villano

Head Coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders and head coach Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers hug at midfield after the Chargers 24-19 win at SoFi Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Head Coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders and head coach Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers hug at midfield after the Chargers 24-19 win at SoFi Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) (Syndication: Palm Beach Post) /

22. Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins

Mike McDaniel feels like a hard one to peg as well, but the Miami Dolphins have to demand more after years worth of investments. Over the past two years, the Dolphins added Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Bradley Chubb, David Long Jr., Jeff Wilson, Mike White, Chase Edmonds, Cedrick Wilson, Alec Ingold, Terron Armstead, and Raheem Mostert. There has been quite a bit of roster movement in Miami. Now, McDaniel has to do something with it.

This was already a good team. Tua Tagovailoa is very good when healthy. We’ll cover that in a moment. The Dolphins have a decent defense, with stars like Xavien Howard and Emmanuel Ogbah joining the newly-acquired veterans. Ramsey is the star that joined Miami this offseason, and the expectation is it would put the Dolphins over the top.

McDaniel is considered a good coach who has dealt with a bad situation. He did make dreadful decisions with Tagovailoa’s health last season, letting him play in games with clear concussion symptoms. He’s not a doctor, so he can’t be blamed for clearing his quarterback. However, sometimes a coach has to make the hard decision.

If McDaniel just allowed Tagovailoa to heal from early-season concussions, would he have him available in the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills? The Dolphins had no chance in that game, but with Tua, things would be different. There’s no room for what-ifs in football, but it can lead to questions about a coach’s ability to make long-term strategy moves if they make the wrong decision. McDaniel still has plenty of rope, but this year, he has to show he knows how to properly deal with injuries.

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