Commanders’ top offensive coordinator candidate is officially available after latest NFL move, but they’ll have to fight for him
The Commanders need to do everything possible to hire Mike McDaniel as the next offensive coordinator after the Dolphins fired him, but he will be a hot name this offseason.
The Washington Commanders are resetting this offseason after head coach Dan Quinn decided to move on from both coordinators following a nightmare season.
They made the bold move in deciding to part ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and now Quinn has to find a clear upgrade so the move doesn’t look like a big mistake. The Commanders will have plenty of options in the coaching cycle, but the perfect candidate is now available after the latest NFL bombshell.
The Miami Dolphins have fired Mike McDaniel as their head coach, and the Commanders will have to fight for him to be their next offensive coordinator.
Miami Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel
Life moves fast, and they call the NFL “not for long” for a reason. McDaniel went from the head coach of the Dolphins, who was helping interview potential general manager candidates, to being fired the next day. This move is likely another domino effect from John Harbaugh being fired in Baltimore, and it’s the perfect opportunity for McDaniel to reunite with Quinn and save the offense.
Why the Commanders need Mike McDaniel
Firing Kingsbury was a bold move, but it would be the right call if the Commanders can land McDaniel. Having McDaniel bring the Shanahan offense to the Commanders would help unlock the potential of the offense and bring out the best in Jayden Daniels. The offense was under center the fewest times last season under Kingsbury, and McDaniel would work with Daniels and take his development to the next level while leaning on his strengths.
The offense is already set up to succeed on the roster, especially the offensive line and tight end room. The offense would thrive in a zone-blocking scheme with blockers who can pull and move out in space, and high-end tight ends who can block inline and roll out for short passes as well. It’s always been assumed that Adam Peters would try to replicate the San Francisco 49ers roster, and now he can watch it all come together with McDaniel running the offense. Daniels would be able to utilize his legs in play action, while still stretching the field with his arm. This would be the best hire in the entire offseason, but it won’t be easy.
The Commanders will have to fight for Mike McDaniel
It’s no secret that McDaniel is very close to Quinn, after he helped McDaniel get his personal life back on track with the Atlanta Falcons, and ultimately saved his career. McDaniel has been very vocal about how much he looks up to Quinn, and reuniting with him is a no-brainer, which is why the Commanders will be heavy favorites to land him this offseason.
McDaniel will be a hot name this offseason, though, so it won’t be easy for the Commanders to land him. There are two teams the Commanders need to look out for, and that’s the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns are reportedly very high on McDaniel, and if he wants to stay a head coach and not take a demotion, that’s likely his best route to go. There also aren’t too many offensive-minded candidates this coaching cycle outside of Klint Kubiak and Kingsbury, so McDaniel will have a big market as a head coach with now eight head coach openings in the NFL.
For that same reason, the 49ers could very likely lose Kubiak and push hard to have McDaniel back to help run Kyle Shanahan’s offense with ease. Shanahan’s job is obviously very secure, so McDaniel would have a stable coaching staff and front office to comfortably redeem himself and become a top head coach candidate once again in the next few years. The same couldn’t be said about Washington. Quinn’s future is in doubt, and how much stability would McDaniel have with the Commanders? Could he become the offensive coordinator/assistant head coach and potentially take over for Quinn if things don’t go well? There are a lot of question marks.
There are pros and cons to each possibility, though. He would have full control of the offense with the Commanders, and Jayden Daniels to work with, but not much long-term stability. With the 49ers, he wouldn’t be the head guy on offense, but he would have a stable coaching staff to give his best efforts and bounce back after getting fired. Regardless, the Commanders need to do everything possible to land McDaniel to save the offense and become serious contenders again.
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