There is a second offensive coordinator candidate for the Detroit Lions. According to Ian Rapoport, the Lions have reached out to former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel for their coaching vacancy.
McDaniel was considered one of the brightest offensive minds in football after spending much of his early career with Kyle Shanahan. He was an offensive assistant and wide receiver coach for Washington while Shanahan was the offensive coordinator there. He then followed Shanahan to the San Francisco 49ers to serve as the run game coordinator for four years and offensive coordinator for one.
McDaniel was able to parlay that job into the Dolphins head coaching job in 2022, and saw some immediate success there. In Year 1 with Miami, the Dolphins produced the 11-best scoring offense with the six-most yards. The following year, the Dolphins offense explsoed to produce the second-most points and led the league in yardage.
However, the Dolphins offense struggled the following years, partially because of injuries to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The starting quarterback missed six games in 2024 and three in 2025. As a result, the Dolphins offense dropped to 22nd and 25th in scoring, respectively. McDaniel was fired earlier this week.
McDaniel is currently the second known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator job. Detroit is also reportedly interested in former Lions quarterback David Blough, who is currently serving as the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders. It is currently unclear if Blough or McDaniel have an interview scheduled for the Lions yet.
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