Even though the Miami Dolphins are destined for another season without a playoff appearance, and the defense has largely been an average unit under the watchful eye of coordinator Anthony Weaver, there is still a chance that the longtime NFL assistant could interview for some head coaching vacancies in 2026.
The rest of the league seems to be of the opinion that Weaver is a great leader and defensive mind who has been dealt a very poor hand thanks to a subpar roster. Miami's most recent game may not be the best example of that line of thinking in action due to how poorly Weaver's unit played.
At the start of the fourth quarter in Miami's Week 16 duel against Joe Burrow and the also eliminated Cincinnati Bengals, Weaver's defense had surrendered 45 points, capped off by a third quarter in which Bengals running back Chase Brown found the end zone three separate times.
Any team that may have had some interest in Weaver, believing that his style could be exactly what this hypothetical franchise needs to turn things around, might knock him down a few notches on their priority list after watching this atrocity unfold against Cincinnati.
Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver might lose HC buzz after terrible Week 16 vs. Bengals
Weaver has held opposing teams under 20 points five times this season, four of which came in November or December. Despite losing Matt Judon and Jaelan Phillips on the defensive line, Weaver has managed to guide Miami to the league's 16th-best defense in terms of points per game.
However, whenever Weaver's defenses have been matched up against an elite quarterback of Burrow's caliber, the flaws soon start to reveal themselves. How much of that is Weaver, and how much is a roster that simply is not NFL quality, is up for debate among Dolphins fans.
The remaining two games on Miami's schedule will come against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that will be fighting and clawing to stay alive in the NFC South and a New England Patriots team that may need to play all of their starters if there is a chance to impact playoff position.
Between Weaver struggling in the second half, Mike McDaniel doing little to maintain his tenuous hold on the Miami job, and Quinn Ewers throwing two interceptions to eradicate what was actually a solid start, the Dolphins are finding precious little to write home about.