Mike McDaniel Rumors Update Former Dolphins HC's Potential NFL Landing Spots

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel might not remain a free agent for long.

McDaniel is scheduled to interview for the Tennessee Titans head coaching vacancy next Wednesday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.

Pelissero added that there has been "significant interest" in McDaniel since his dismissal by the Dolphins earlier this week.

The report comes after Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported the Cleveland Browns have had McDaniel "on their radar for some time" and will "possibly interview him next week."

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Detroit Lions have also reached out to McDaniel about their offensive coordinator vacancy.

The Titans are seeking a permanent replacement for Brian Callahan, who was fired after a 1-5 start to his second season with the team.

Tennessee went 2-9 the rest of the way under interim head coach Mike McCoy.

Whoever takes over for Callahan and McCoy will be tasked with managing the development of quarterback Cam Ward, who started all 17 games of his rookie season with the Titans.

Ward's passing showed improvements throughout his rookie season. After marking an average 74.9 passer rating through the first 13 games of his rookie campaign, he topped a 100 rating in back-to-back games in Week 15 and Week 16.

He was once more performing at over a 100 rating in the Titans' regular-season finale before he was knocked out of Week 18 with a right shoulder injury.

Ward said earlier this week the injury is a sprained AC joint that won't necessitate surgery or change his offseason schedule.

That means Titans could hope to get a full offseason to help Ward adjust to a new offensive scheme under their next head coach.

McDaniel worked with the offensive staffs in Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta and San Francisco before joining the Dolphins ahead of the 2022 season.

He led the Dolphins into the playoffs in each of his first two seasons as the offensive play caller in Miami, including a 2023 season during which Miami ranked first in total offensive yards and second in points.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, posted the two best seasons of his career, capped off with a 2023 Pro Bowl campaign during which he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards.

The Dolphins fell out of playoff contention amid Tagovailoa's injury issues and consistency struggles over the next two seasons.

Should the Titans ultimately pursue McDaniel, however, they could hope for the former Dolphins head coach to replicate his early success with Tagovailoa by helping Ward take a step forward during his second NFL season.