Dolphins Rumors: Brian Daboll, Kellen Moore, Mike McDaniel Finalists for HC Job

The Miami Dolphins have reportedly narrowed their list of head-coaching candidates to three offensive coordinators.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said the Dolphins will pick among Brian Daboll, Kellen Moore and Mike McDaniel. 

Per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, Dan Quinn, Leslie Frazier, Vance Joseph and Thomas Brown are among the other candidates the Dolphins spoke with during their first round of interviews. 

Rapaport reported Thursday that Miami's front office plans to conduct second interviews with the finalists next week.

All three finalists have seen their stock rise over the season, and Daboll and McDaniel have generated positive buzz based on how their teams (the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, respectively) have performed in the postseason.

Daboll has been the Bills' offensive coordinator since 2018. He has helped oversee the development of Josh Allen over the past four seasons. The Bills have had a top-eight offense by Football Outsiders' weighted DVOA in each of the past two seasons. 

McDaniel is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the 49ers, but he's been one of Kyle Shanahan's top assistants since he was hired as head coach in 2017. The 38-year-old spent the previous four years as their run-game coordinator. 

The 49ers averaged at least 118.1 rushing yards per game in three straight seasons from 2018 to 2020. Their offense ranked fifth in Football Outsiders' DVOA in 2021.  

Moore just finished his third season as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator. They had the top-ranked offense in the NFL by total yards (407 per game) and scoring (31.2 points per game).

The Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores after they finished third in the AFC East with a 9-8 record. They have posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03 but haven't made the playoffs since 2016.