The Miami Dolphins, a once-proud and historic franchise, now sit in the top three of the NFL in one head coaching stat that will drive fans crazy. It will do nothing more than send them further into the pits of despair. It also isn't a good look for a team in the process of finding a new head coach.
Stephen Ross took over the Dolphins in 2009. His team has yet to find postseason success. Once the pillar of the AFC East, they are now just the "At least we are not the Jets" franchise in the division. It doesn't take much to look at the reasons why.
A simple search for their head coaching history delivers the answer. More importantly, however, is that Mike McDaniel's future with the Dolphins was already predetermined a full year before his exit.
In August of 2024, McDaniel was given a 3-year extension by the team's owner. He previously extended both Tony Sparano and Joe Philbin. Then, they were abruptly fired the following year.
Miami Dolphins coaching history is the clear reason why the team continues to fail
Since 2000, the Dolphins have had 8 different head coaches, and they will get their ninth by the end of the month. Since 2009, they have had five head coaches, not including interims. Ross will hire his sixth head coach soon.
This puts Miami in the top three of NFL head coaching turnover since 2002. The Raiders (12) and the Browns (9) sit above Miami. Both of those teams are also looking for new head coaches this offseason as well.
If there is good news to take from this, it is the fact that the other teams with 8 coaching changes at the same time are all in the playoffs this year. The 49ers, Jaguars, and Broncos are those teams. Denver and San Francisco appear to have long-term coaches in place.
It's not a good look for teams that have this much turnover, especially when you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have had just three HCs since the NFL merger. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin all coached for nearly two-decades.
For Dolphins fans hoping for a silver lining in all of this, they don't have to look far. Since 2016, the Dolphins have hired three head coaches. All with Chris Grier, a loud voice in the room. He is no longer making those decisions, which may be the difference this time around.