After missing the playoffs last year, the Miami Dolphins kicked off the 2025 season hoping to return to the postseason. A 1-6 start erased those thoughts, but Mike McDaniel’s team has bounced back and improved to 4-7 with better play as of late.
We’ve already seen the Dolphins fire general manager Chris Grier. But what about coach McDaniel? Will the team’s recent turnaround save him? At this point, the Dolphins may be willing to give him the rest of the season to figure things out, and hope to end on a high note.
Or, it’s possible the Dolphins are quietly planning to make changes anyway. If so, there’s a sneaky candidate who could have a great amount of interest in coaching in South Beach.
Specifically, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could be a fit in Miami for 2026.
“Vance Joseph’s defense in Denver might break the NFL record for sacks in a single season, and he has ties to Miami and Cincinnati if those jobs come open.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
Joseph was previously hired as the head coach of the Broncos, but was let go after leading them to just a 11-21 record across two seasons from 2017 to 2018. He was brought back, in a defensive coordinator role in 2023.
Denver’s defense ranked 29th and 27th in yards and points allowed in his first season. Joseph improved those marks to seventh and third last season, and they rank third in both categories once again in 2025.
Whether Joseph could do better in his second opportunity to be a head coach again remains to be seen, but chances are the 53-year-old will get more interviews this offseason.
Related: NFL Report Card: Grading All 32 Teams Before Week 12
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Sports fan since birth. I am also passionate about cars, music, and anything funny. Minnesotan, born and raised. Maybe ... More about Andrew Buller-Russ