NFL News: Miami Dolphins reportedly have favorite candidate to replace Mike McDaniel

The Miami Dolphins are playing for their lives in the final weeks of the 2025 NFL season. Head coach Mike McDaniel might as well be doing it to keep his job after a rocky campaign in South Florida. Now, a report suggests there is one candidate fans should keep an eye on if McDaniel isn’t with the team next year.

The Dolphins have managed to stay afloat after a 1-6 start to the NFL campaign. Somehow someway, Miami is still in the hunt for a playoff berth. However, their 6-7 record means the Dolphins are virtually one misstep away from watching their season come to an end. It’s all hanging on by a thread, and McDaniel’s job security is no different.

With that in mind, the Dolphins are doing their due survey of the head coaching market. Though McDaniel survived the mid-season frenzy — when GM Chris Grier was fired — he may not make it past ‘Black Monday’ after Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. On that note, a report suggests who could be favored by the Phins’ organization.

“If Miami’s [head coaching job] opens, remember that [Vance] Joseph was a finalist for the Dolphins job that went to Mike McDaniel in 2022 and is still well-regarded there,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler stated on Wednesday.

Vance Joseph DC for the Denver Broncos

Vance Joseph’s past and present

Joseph is a familiar face in Miami Gardens. The current defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos previously held the same role with the Dolphins in the 2016 NFL season. That year, Miami finished 10-6, placed second in the AFC East, and secured a playoff berth. However, the Phins fell 30-12 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round.

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After the loss, Joseph took over as head coach of the Broncos, leading them to consecutive losing seasons (5-11 in 2017 and 6-10 in 2018). He later served as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022 before returning to Denver — under head coach Sean Payton’s wing — in 2023. Since then, he has proven to be one of the league’s sharpest defensive minds, guiding one of the NFL’s top units.

After rolling the dice on one offensive guru, the Dolphins may now be headed to the other extreme—hiring a defense-first head coach.

Miami is up for big decision

However, Miami will cross that bridge when it gets to it. For now, the Dolphins have a head coach in place in McDaniel and are mathematically still alive in the NFL playoff race. Business isn’t exactly booming, but they aren’t too shabby, either. Dolphins fans would be the first to admit: things could always be worse.