Browns expected to pursue Mike McDaniel after being fired from Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel, making 25 percent of NFL jobs open this offseason.

After the Baltimore Ravens surprised the football world when they fired John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, it was expected that teams would fire their coaches in order to get a meeting with the Super Bowl winner.

McDaniel was expected to stay employed with the organization and take part in their search for a general manager. But the Dolphins ultimately decided to fire him, which will likely pave the way for the Browns to express their interest.

While the Browns have reached out to Harbaugh, they will also likely reach out to McDaniel.

McDaniel worked under ex-Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, primarily coaching the wide receivers in Cleveland. Despite only spending the 2014 season with the Browns, key organizational members in Cleveland have long-admired McDaniel’s offensive genius.

Even prior to firing head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns were linked to McDaniel.

In McDaniel’s fourth season in Miami, the Dolphins were off to a dreadful 1-6 start. However, the team fought for their 43-year-old head coach, finishing the season with a 7-10 record.

During his four seasons in Miami, McDaniel was able to extract the best out of Tua Tagovailoa, whose injuries have limited their franchise quarterback in recent seasons. The Browns would also likely pick McDaniel’s brain about how he deployed talented receiving tandem Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The Browns struggled to get any of their wide receivers consistent production in 2025 and would like to modernize their offense with a new head coach.

Stefanski’s offense notoriously struggled to appease receivers dating back to his time with the Minnesota Vikings, where Stefon Diggs wanted to be traded. Upon Stefanski’s arrival in Cleveland, embattled receiver Odell Beckham Jr. demanded a trade away from Baker Mayfield and Stefanski.

Other receivers who found themselves unhappy with the Browns under Stefanski’s watch include Jarvis Landry, Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy.

Since McDaniel is a Shanahan disciple, he sports a successful run game, as well.

Similarly to Cleveland’s pursuit of Harbaugh, the Browns could have competition to land McDaniel. The Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris and will be interviewing their old quarterback, Matt Ryan, for a coaching position. McDaniel served as an offensive assistant when Ryan’s Falcons lost to Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.

The Browns are scheduled to meet with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde. They will also speak to their own defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz as well as offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who grew alongside Shedeur Sanders after Cleveland’s bye week.

Of that group, Schwartz is the only known candidate with head coaching experience. The team could also interview Harbaugh, McDaniel and Mike McCarthy, all of which have recent head coaching experience.