Closing Arguments Coming for McDaniel to Return in 2026

The Miami Dolphins head coach has his team on a four-game winning streak; now comes the hard part.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel stands on the field during a week 14 football game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Without question, Mike McDaniel deserves a lot of credit for the Miami Dolphins turning around their season after starting 1-6 and then 2-7.

His ability to keep his team fighting and put together a four-game winning streak certainly has validated owner Stephen Ross' decision to keep him as head coach after he decided to move on from Chris Grier as general manager.

But now comes the hard part. It's the part that might, and really should, determine whether it would be a wise decision to bring McDaniel for a fifth season in 2026.

DOLPHINS NEED TO CLOSE STRONG

Because they started so poorly and put themselves behind so many other teams, the Dolphins remain highly unlikely to make the playoffs this season, but making or not making the postseason might not wind up being the deciding factor in Ross' decision on McDaniel.

Remember his released statement after the 2024 season finale against the New York Jets, when he talked about the status quo not being acceptable.

Well, the firing — or parting of the ways, if you prefer — of Grier could serve as evidence that Ross meant it.

But there are other facets to the status quo.

For one thing, this is the second consecutive season the Dolphins have rebounded after a poor start. They came up short in their bid to make the playoffs in 2024, so a repeat of that in 2025 would be the definition of status quo in that regard.

But here's what we would suggest is the biggest component: the ability to beat quality opponents.

This has been an issue for this team the past two seasons, as the Dolphins have produced an unsightly 1-5 record against teams with a winning record in both 2023 and 2024.

The record so far in those games in 2025: 1-5. The one victory was the Week 9 rout of the Buffalo Bills, with the losses coming against the Indianapolis Colts (Week 1), New England Patriots (Week 2), Buffalo (Week 3), Carolina Panthers (Week 5) and Los Angeles Chargers (Week 6).

As impressive as the Dolphins' turnaround has been, their five victories outside of the upset of the Bills came against the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints and two against the New York Jets — teams with a combined record of 13-39.

The current run is reminiscent of last season when the Dolphins went 6-2 after starting 2-6, but after an upset win of the L.A. Rams in a Monday night game, the other five victories came against teams that finished 6-11, 5-12, 4-13, 4-13 and 3-14.

In their final nine games of the 2024 season, the Dolphins played two teams with a winning record and lost against both the Green Bay Packers and the Houston Texans.

TIME TO END THE NARRATIVE

It's a narrative that's a lot more legit than the Dolphins not winning in cold weather because those cold-weather failures almost invariably have come against quality opponents, and it says here it was more about the opponent than the weather.

But the Dolphins have a chance to stop that narrative this season because three of their final four games are against teams that have a winning record, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers next Monday night, followed (after the flexed game against the Cincinnati Bengals) by matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17 and New England in Week 18.

And this is where the status quo would be unacceptable.

The formula for success the Dolphins have adopted lately isn't the same as they've had since McDaniel became head coach because the focus offensively now is on the running game as opposed to the combination of Tua, Tyreek and Waddle.

Because a punishing running game offers a bigger margin for error than a great passing game in tough weather conditions and against better opponents, the hope is that the Dolphins are better equipped to handle the closing stretch of their 2025 season.

But what if the winning streak was a mirage? The product, more than anything, of a soft schedule (outside Buffalo, of course)?

What if the running game can't keep it up against the Steelers, Bucs or Patriots, and the passing game can't keep up? Or the takeaways stop happening for the defense?

What McDaniel has done over the past six games is impressive indeed, but it doesn't change the fact the team put itself in an almost impossible situation to make the playoffs in the first half for two straight years now.

And righting the ship only should carry so much weight if the success ends once the tough opponents arrive.

Because that would be yet another example of status quo, perhaps the most damning example.

So what should be the bare requirement for the Dolphins to show they're not the same old Dolphins, starting slow (at least the past two years) and just not good enough to step up against better competition?

Say the Dolphins go 2-1 against the three opponents with winning records, that would be a major step in the right direction and maybe prove that this new formula can provide good results over a full season.

But what if it's 1-2? That would mean Miami would finish the season with a 2-7 record against teams with a winning record (assuming Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay finish that way since they're both 7-6). That's not very good.

If the Dolphins lose all three, then there should be no discussion because the turnaround will have proven nothing other than players keep fighting for McDaniel, which is good but not nearly good enough to justify bringing him back in 2026.

The feeling, as reported (via sources) by multiple members of the national media, is that Ross would like to give McDaniel another shot next season, but these last four games might be, or should be, the determining factor.

Because, as Ross said, the status quo should not be acceptable.