Grier, McDaniel or both? Who's on Dolphins' hot seat entering 2025 season?
It took no more than a couple of hours after the finality of the Miami Dolphins' 2024 season settled in before owner Steve Ross decided on the direction for 2025.
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He retained both general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel, announcing as much in a statement released moments after the Dolphins vacated MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey following an embarrassing season-ending loss to the New York Jets that sealed their playoff-less fate last season.
But Ross still made it clear that falling short of the postseason and extending the franchise's drought without a playoff win to 24 seasons was not acceptable.
'Continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that the status quo is good enough,' Ross said in his statement. 'We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships.
'As the owner of this team, I am ultimately accountable for our successes and failures. We fell short of our expectations this season, and I understand and share in the frustration in our performance on the field.'
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Many of those words indicate, while the Dolphins are running it back with Grier and McDaniel at the top, the duo enters 2025 on the hot seat before veterans report for training camp.
So is it McDaniel whose job could be in danger with another year falling short as he enters his fourth season for a team that was ready to compete at the time he took over?
Is it Grier, as he has been a constant through the entire playoff win drought, starting out as a scout in 2000 and having the general manager title since 2016?
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Could it be both for a complete reset if 2025 goes awry? And what qualifies as a season gone wrong?
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Certainly, falling short of the playoffs again could and probably should be grounds for termination. Some may want to set the bar higher and say this combination needs to produce that long-coveted playoff win.
That seems like a tougher task in 2025 without the franchise making many significant upgrades to the roster and perceivably operating at a net loss of talent.
The recent trade that brought All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami also shipped star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith away to Pittsburgh, with neither willing to stick with the Dolphins this season. Fitzpatrick replaces former safety Jevon Holland, who went to the New York Giants in free agency, and the Dolphins also lost valued veterans in tackle Terron Armstead (retirement) and defensive tackle Calais Campbell (to Arizona in free agency).
McDaniel's job could very well come down to shifting the culture for a team that accepted tardiness to meetings last year. Armstead, Campbell and Smith are big losses to the locker room in that regard.
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The Dolphins spent the offseason addressing the physicality of the team, using a first-round pick on defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, trading up in the second round for guard Jonah Savaiinaea, dishing out their largest free agent contract to veteran guard James Daniels, plus adding a pair of physical running backs to complement De'Von Achane in the run game.
And it all could very well fall on the shoulders of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his health; 2024 would likely have been much more successful if he didn't miss six games. Tagovailoa must protect himself better, but if backup Zach Wilson is forced into action and fails, Grier and McDaniel have left themselves open to criticism of choosing him over a more experienced backup.
For McDaniel's part, he was candid this offseason in welcoming the hot seat pressure, likening it to what Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni faced before winning the Super Bowl last season.
Previously addressed
Is this Tyreek Hill's final season with the Dolphins?
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Dolphins Deep Dive: Miami's culture; McDaniel on hot seat? | VIDEO
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