The Miami Dolphins are responding to their miserable first half of the season by parting ways with general manager Chris Grier. However, that can only be the beginning, because Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel have also squandered their chances – a commentary.

When Mike McDaniel took over for Brian Flores in Miami in 2022, fans and observers around the Dolphins sensed a real spirit of optimism. The easygoing, somewhat unconventional offensive nerd McDaniel replaced the grim defensive preacher Flores, who reportedly clashed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on more than one occasion.

In this context, “nerd” is meant exclusively in a positive sense: McDaniel previously worked for the San Francisco 49ers as run game and offensive coordinator under offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, impressing not only with his creative designs.

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With his then-unusual style, he regularly thrilled journalists at press conferences because he didn’t recite the usual platitudes, but shared his philosophy in detail.

In Miami, the team hoped that signing McDaniel would not only bring in a young, creative head coach, but also take Tagovailoa’s game to the next level. Tagovailoa had played solidly under Flores, but had not stood out as a franchise quarterback.

This was immediately successful in the first year: McDaniel showed unique formations, impressed with great playcalling, and Tagovailoa brilliantly implemented the modern offense. His 4,629 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns were by far the best career stats for the quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa: Lack of further development

The problem with that? Tua never came close to those numbers again. Of course, this was also due to injuries; Tagovailoa’s concussion problems are well known in the NFL. However, the quarterback also failed to develop further after defenses figured out McDaniel’s fast, short passing game designed to exploit Tua’s strengths.

After performing at a consistent level statistically from 2022 to 2024, Tagovailoa has completely fallen off this year. He is averaging only about 198 passing yards per game, compared to between 261 and 273 yards in the previous three years. His passer rating of 87.6 is also as poor as it was in his rookie season – most recently, he has always ranged between 101 and 105.

But even though the statistics have only plummeted this year, similar patterns have been evident with Tua over the past few years: if McDaniel’s game plan doesn’t work, Miami usually has no plan B. Tagovailoa regularly runs into problems when he has to hold the ball for longer than 2.5 seconds and create plays himself as quarterback.

Miami Dolphins must release Tua Tagovailoa

On top of that, he simply lacks the strong throwing arm needed to consistently hit tight windows – especially when he doesn’t get a clean pocket. This becomes particularly apparent in colder temperatures, which Tagovailoa has struggled with throughout his career.

In Miami, it’s probably clear to everyone involved that things can’t go on like this, at least after the clear 6-28 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, in which Tagovailoa revealed all these weaknesses. This is also evident from the departure of general manager Chris Grier.

But that’s definitely not the end of it. Tagovailoa may have just signed a four-year, $212 million extension in the summer of 2024, but from a franchise perspective, it would be fatal not to start afresh at the quarterback position simply because of the admittedly high dead cap of $99.2 million. With a likely high draft pick, the quarterback of the future could be brought in in 2026 to replace Tua immediately.

Mike McDaniel fails as a leader

The story of creative mastermind McDaniel is also over as a coach. Looking purely at the head coach’s play calling and designs, McDaniel cannot be blamed too much. With limited resources, the 42-year-old has largely put together a potent offense up to this season.

McDaniel’s problems lie more in the locker room. There have been repeated reports that he does not have his team under control in terms of discipline. Tagovailoa himself confirmed at a press conference that teammates regularly skip meetings or show up significantly late.

Miami Dolphins: No dismissal until the end of the season

McDaniel can certainly be an outstanding offensive coordinator for another team, but not every coordinator – whether offensive or defensive – is a good head coach. With his rather introverted nature, he has not managed to lead his team through difficult phases.

However, that is unlikely to happen before 2026. Following Grier’s dismissal, ESPN reports that McDaniel will be allowed to stay until at least the end of the season. This is not an unusual process in the NFL, with coach dismissals during the season being the exception rather than the rule.

But by the end of the regular season at the latest, Miami will have to completely reevaluate its two most important positions.