Dolphins expected to hold second interview with 49ers’ Mike McDaniel, per Rapoport

Early Thursday morning, Ian Rapoport shared the news that the Miami Dolphins are in no rush to choose their head coach of the future, but have narrowed their list of candidates to three, who will all be getting second interviews with the organization: 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

McDaniel received one head-coaching interview overall, similar to 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who was requested by the Minnesota Vikings to interview for their head-coaching vacancy following the firing of longtime coach Mike Zimmer.

Daboll interviewed with three teams: the Dolphins, Giants, and Bears. However, the Bears elected to go in a different direction Thursday, hiring Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to be their next head coach. The Giants, for whom Daboll has twice interviewed, are his likeliest destination, as newly-acquired Giants general manager Joe Schoen came from the Buffalo Bills, but he is a finalist for the Dolphins job as well.

Moore interviewed with four teams: the Dolphins, Vikings, Broncos, and Jaguars. The Broncos spot has been filled by Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, while Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich seems to be the current clear-cut favorite for the Jaguars opening.

Interestingly, all three coaches are offensive-minded, which gives insight in to how Miami wants to operate their franchise from the head-coaching spot after firing defensive-minded Brian Flores earlier this offseason, despite two-straight winning seasons.

Should the Dolphins hire McDaniel, the 49ers would receive a compensatory third-round pick in return due to McDaniel's minority status (his father is black), similar to the return for Robert Saleh when he accepted the New York Jets head coaching position last offseason.

McDaniel has been with Kyle Shanahan since he began as an offensive assistant coach in 2006 with the Houston Texans. He joined the 49ers with Shanahan in 2017 as a run-game specialist before being promoted to the run-game coordinator in 2019, and then to offensive coordinator in 2021.

While his eccentric personality may be unique for a head-coaching candidacy, he certainly has proved his value, as San Francisco's offense is built upon its creative running strategy.